Last week came surprising news: Sylvester Stallone wouldn’t be returning for Creed III, the spin-off series sprung from Rocky, the franchise that first made his name. No reason was given. But in a new interview star and director Michael B. Jordan opened up about Sly’s exit.
via: IGN
Speaking to IGN’s Jim Vejvoda while promoting Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, Jordan revealed that one of the main reasons Stallone won’t be returning is that this is a Creed franchise, and they “really want to build this story and this world around [Adonis] moving forward.”
“Yeah, I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn’t coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… there’s always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis,” Jordan said. “But this is a Creed franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward. So, it’s always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he’s built, but we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created. So, hopefully you guys will love what I’m thinking… what we’re cooking up. I think it’s going to be something special.”
Stallone’s rep officially confirmed that he would not be returning for Creed 3 earlier this week, and this news follows Stallone’s post on Instagram in 2018 when he said he was retiring the character and thanked everyone for “taking the Rocky family into their hearts for over 40 years.”
Stallone played Rocky in eight films, directed four of them, and served as a writer or co-writer on all the Rocky films and Creed II.
As for Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, the Jordan-led action film is set to debut on Amazon Prime on April 30, 2021. Jordan stars as John Kelly, a Navy SEAL who goes on a path to avenge his wife’s murder only to find himself inside of a larger conspiracy. This film is an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse from 1993.
Maybe we’ll hear from Rocky again one day.
