Updated: Trailer for “Creed II” added 06/20/2018
Original article below.
Michael B. Jordan is reprising his role as Adonis Creed, son of boxing champion Apollo Creed, alongside Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa) in “Creed II.” The new poster for the upcoming movie shows Jordan’s Creed looking serious and prepared to go to battle alone.
According to a synopsis of “Creed II” provided by publicists:
Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring.
Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.
Further details on IMBD.com reveal that Creed’s opponent will be none other than Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren)—the Russian boxer who beat Apollo Creed to death in the ring in Rocky IV (1985).
Needless to say, there will be a lot on the line for Adonis, as he was just a child when he lost his father and has been carrying a weight of unknowns and what-ifs ever since. Rocky, too, will likely have some scores to settle with Drago, although the Italian Stallion defeated the robotic and juiced-up Soviet decades prior in the ring as payback for Apollo’s death.
The stakes will be high for everyone involved, especially with Creed having such a personal score to settle and Rocky (obviously the new franchise’s “Mickey”) getting another shot at redemption. It was Rocky who helped train his friend Apollo for his face-off with Drago and was his ringside coach for the deadly fight.
Watching it all will be Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), Apollo’s wife and Adonis’ mother and Bianca, the star boxer’s love interest played by Tessa Thompson.
Although the themes of family, redemption, and righting wrongs of the past might be a major draw for Christian audiences, spiritual-minded viewers will likely also appreciate that both Stallone and Jordan are men of faith. Jordan has revealed that he grew up in church and that his go-to scriptures are Psalms 23 and 91. Stallone, on the other hand, has made regular appearances on religious programs to talk about returning to his Roman Catholic roots.
As with the first installment, fans can expect to see “Creed II” in theaters the week of Thanksgiving (November 21). Other actors among the cast include: Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu, and Andre Ward.
Stallone is credited as writer and a producer, along with Kevin King-Templeton, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Irwin Winkler. Executive producers are Ryan Coogler, Jordan, and Guy Riedel. The director is Steven Caple Jr. while MGM, Warner Bros. Pictures are distributors of the film. “Creed” first hit theaters in 2015.
