Another Rocky spin-off announced as Creed 3 delayed until next year

Things are changing up in the Rocky-verse – a new spin-off is currently in development, Deadline reports, and Creed 3 has been delayed until spring 2023. 

While plot details are being kept under wraps, Deadline says that the new spin-off, titled Drago, will center around the Russian boxer of the same name, played by Dolph Lundgren, and his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu). Screenwriter Robert Lawton, who wrote the spec script for the 2020 documentary Becoming Rocky, is attached to pen the spin-off. 

Lundgren's Ivan Drago first appeared in 1985's Rocky 4 and the character also made an appearance in 2018's Creed 2 with his son, who was Adonis Creed's new rival. Drago Sr. is responsible for killing Apollo Creed, Donnie's father, during a match in Rocky 4. 

Meanwhile, Creed 3 was originally meant to hit the big screen on November 23, 2022, but now this date has been pushed back to March 3, 2023. Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed in the series, is stepping behind the camera to make his directorial debut with the third installment, and Jonathan Majors is also joining the cast as a new opponent for Creed. 

Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, and Wood Harris are returning to the cast for round three, but the threequel will be the first Creed movie that doesn't feature an appearance from Rocky Balboa himself, played by Sylvester Stallone. 

While we wait for Creed 3 to arrive in theaters, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most exciting movie release dates.