Michael B. Jordan has been itching to get behind the camera since he starred in Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station back in 2013. But it wasn't until he heard that Rocky spin-off Creed 3 was without a director that he figured it was the "perfect time" for him to do so.
As the sequel's first trailer landed online, the Black Panther actor explained that after 20 years of being on sets, he felt like he'd finally gotten to a place in his career where he wanted to tell a story himself – and not just "execute somebody else's vision" – before he agreed to helm the third installment. He also opened up about how his frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler, who directed the first film, pushed him to snap up the opportunity.
"At 35 years old, I had a lot to say as a young man, as a young Black man... just my life experiences and I could actually share that, share a piece of myself with the world, through these characters and through this story," he told Total Film and other media, noting how connected he feels to titular boxer Adonis Creed having played him for the last eight years.
"I was talking to Ryan Coogler back when we were doing Creed 1, and he was just like, 'It's never the right time. You just gotta jump in at the deep end and go for it, you know?'" Jordan continued. "He gave me a lot of encouragement. So I just felt like it was the right time for me."
Creed 3 catches up with Donnie and musician Bianca (Tessa Thompson) seven years after the events of Creed 2, as they juggle raising their deaf daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent) and their super successful careers. When Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a menacing character from Donnie's childhood gets out of jail and swiftly challenges him in the ring, Donnie soon discovers that it could be more than just his championship title on the line.
Phylicia Rashad returns as Donnie's mother Mary Anne in the sports drama, while Orange is the New Black's Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Canelo Álvarez, Wood Harris, and Florian Munteanu, who is back as Viktor Drago, round out the cast.
"Thematically, for us, family is always the core [of these movies] – you know, family and heart. So I think there's a bit of having to face your past and find out who you really are," Jordan said. "It's sort of a homecoming as well, You know what I mean? Remembering where you come from, I think is really important. Settling debts and being accountable for your actions is something that we wanted to look at as well.
"This movie has a lot of me in it, and hopefully a lot of other people as well. I wanted to create a story where everybody felt like they could relate to something."
Creed 3 releases in US cinemas on March 3, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.
