Michael B. Jordan stepped in as director for the first time with “Creed III,” the ninth installment of the “Rocky” franchise, replacing Ryan Coogler, his longtime partner.
Jordan decided to go behind the camera after speaking with producer Irwin Winkler, who said, “Mike, you’re ready to step behind the camera.”
This discovery was made during a virtual Variety Streaming Room conversation about “Creed III,” which senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay moderated. Jordan discussed the evolution of the movie with writers Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler, as well as producer Elizabeth Raposo. Jordan claimed to be well-suited for the directing position because of his close familiarity with the Adonis character, which he played in earlier “Creed” movies.
Jordan told Tangcay during the exclusive discussion hosted by Amazon MGM Studios, “Nobody knew Adonis more than me, and I had a clear point of view and perspective that I wanted Adonis and the Creed family to have in this movie.”
Michael B. Jordan takes inspiration from Japanese animation
Adonis’s childhood friend Damian, a former boxing prodigy and recent prison release, is introduced in the third episode of the series as a new character played by Jonathan Majors. The group talked about how to incorporate this character into the story.
Writer Zach Baylin claims that Damian’s concept and persona originated from conversations, especially with Ryan, who planted the idea’s seed. The team worked together to rework the story so that it would center more on Adonis and his relationships. This included speaking with Michael B. Jordan.
Michael B. Jordan, who takes inspiration from his love of Japanese animation, offered tips on how to add emotion to the fight scenes. He compared Damian and Adonis’s face-off to an anime cliche in which characters fighting physically are also depicted exchanging passionate words in a calm “void” area.
Jordan took great pride in the fact that the movie was multilingual, using American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, English, and fighting language.
Contemplating the use of subtitles to represent the punches as words, he described the fight scenes as dialogue. The idea was to capture the unadulterated emotion, akin to a Greek play, a performance art that takes place during these intense moments, even though they finally decided against it.
Creed III has a strong emotional impact on viewers
Raposo discussed why, in her opinion, the movie has a strong emotional impact on viewers. She underlined that overcoming obstacles, whether they be extraordinarily difficult or personally challenging, is the theme of the film. The movie portrays the idea that one can overcome obstacles no matter what. That, in her opinion, is the universal lesson that the audience finds most compelling.
Conversely, Winkler thinks that the story’s relatability comes down to just one crucial component: “Family.”
What is Creed III all about?
The American sports drama Creed III, which is the third entry in the Creed series and a sequel to Creed II (2018), marks Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut in 2023. It’s the ninth movie in the Rocky series overall. Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, and Jonathan Majors are among the film’s outstanding ensemble cast members.
Screenplay writer Keenan Coogler and writer Zach Baylin adapted a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler. Adonis Creed, a retired boxer played by Michael B. Jordan, competes against Damian Anderson, a former boxing prodigy and childhood friend played by Jonathan Majors.
In September 2019, the third Creed movie was formally revealed, and Michael B. Jordan’s comeback was verified. It was revealed in October 2020 that Jordan will be directing for the first time. The remaining cast members, including Jonathan Majors, joined the project between November 2021 and September 2022.
