Sylvester Stallone will not appear in Creed 3

Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in Creed.

(Image credit: MGM)

Michael B. Jordan will make his directorial debut with Creed 3. However, Sylvester Stallone won’t be taking any direction from his fellow actor. The Rocky franchise's lead star will not appear in the third Creed movie.

Rumors of his absence had been going around after he apparently responded to an Instagram user stating that he would not return. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he will not participate in the MGM boxing installment and his representative offered no additional explanation.

The Expendables trilogy actor reprised his iconic role of Rocky Balboa in the previous two movies as a mentor to Jordan's character, Adonis "Donnie" Creed. Stallone's performance in 2015's Ryan Coolger directed Creed earned him an Academy Award nomination for best-supporting actor. The movie was then quickly followed by Creed 2, which released in November 2018, directed by Stephen Caple Jr, who at one time was being eyed to helm the next Transformers movie. Both Creed movies were box office and critical successes.

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Although it's unfortunate Stallone won't appear in Creed 3, his fans still have something to look forward to, as the actor recently announced his recut of Rocky IV is complete in the Instagram post above. "I’m feeling great about this," said Stallone in a social media post along with the announcement. The actor-director explained that Rocky IV was never completed to Stallone's satisfaction. He was grateful for an opportunity to go back in so that he could deliver his vision.

It will be interesting to see how Adonis gets by without Rocky in his corner. Still, the Rocky franchise is all about a hero overcoming obstacles in the absence of their greatest mentor. It's a classic formula that has worked time and time again. We’ll have to wait as Creed 3 is scheduled to be released on Nov. 23, 2022. In the meantime, check out all the best Netflix movies currently streaming.

Stephanie is a comic book historian and pop culture critic for publications including SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But What If Though?, and Living Heroes. She made her Marvel debut with a short story featuring Monica Rambeau in Marvel’s Voices: Legacy. She recently made her DC Comics debut in Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 and is co-writing the Nubia and the Amazons miniseries.