Michael B. Jordan’s rise to fame may have not been down to theRockyfranchise like Sylvester Stallone’s was, but Jordan is certainly following his footsteps both inCreed’sfictional boxing world and real life. Much like Stallone did, Jordan is now set to act and direct inCreed 3as a recent interview confirmed.
Jordan has been slowly adding executive producer credits to his name over the last few years in films likeCreed 2,Fahrenheit 451, as well as the upcomingJust Mercy,Without Remorse(based on a Tom Clancy novel), and DC’sStatic Shock, andhad expressed interest in eventually directing Creed 3, with producer Irvin Wrinkler promising him a fair chance at the job.
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However, in a recent interview with MTV News, hisCreedco-star Tessa Thompson admitted that the job opening for directingCreed 3is officially closed. Amidst jokes of Jordan being named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2020, Thompson said when “he [Jordan] is engaging with me as a director. I’m just going to tell him to dial down the sexiness,” thus dispelling any further doubt of who’ll sit in the director’s chair.
Thompson, who also plays Valkyrie in the MCU films, added thatCreed 3is likely to begin shooting sometime towards the latter half of 2021. Until then, Jordan will appear in several projects scheduled for 2021, likesome guest appearances in Disney’sWhat If…?, an animated Marvel series for which he and Chadwick Boseman had already recorded a few episodes.
The first twoCreedfilms were very successful movies in which Jordan received high praise for his performance, but he has a high standard to live up to after Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr. directed the first two. Only time will tell if Jordan’s multitasking role will net him the samekind of praise of earlierRockyfilms got, or ifCreedwill go down the same path of repetition that got the best of Stallone’s darling.
Creedis owned by MGM and is considered the studio’s biggest property after James Bond.With MGM currently up for sale, it’s unclear how that could affectCreed 3’sdistribution, the only known facts are that Jordan will now direct the Winkler Films Productions and MGM effort, for which Stallone is set to take part in writing again.
