Sylvester Stallone would have taken Creed 3 in a different direction

Sylvester Stallone has revealed that Creed 3 would have gone in a different direction if he'd been involved with the upcoming Rocky spin-off.

"That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been," Stallone told The Hollywood Reporter about Creed 3. "It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy – Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s. I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness."

Stallone wrote all six Rocky movies and directed four of them, as well as being a producer for the first two Creed movies. However, he's stepped away from the franchise for Creed 3. The latest installment in the series sees leading man Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed, step into the director's chair.

"This is a classic case of them going around and trying to continually cherry-pick aspects of ‘Rocky’ without even asking me if I want to join in," Stallone added. "I’m not an executive producer on the ‘Creed’ movies. Ryan Coogler is. Michael B. Jordan is. [Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff’s] children are. Not mine. I’m the only one left out."

Creed 3 arrives on the big screen on March 3, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to the rest of the upcoming movies that we think should be on your radar.