We've had plenty of teases from Sylvester Stallone about the status of the Creed sequel, but the cameras officially started rolling this week, as marked by Sly on Instagram. And with the start of production comes news via Deadline that Russell Hornsby will be part of the cast.
There is also something of an update as to the movie's story, which we know finds Michael B. Jordan's Adonis facing off against Viktor Drago (Florian "The Big Nasty" Munteanu), the son of Dolph Lundgren's Russian powerhouse puncher Ivan (Lundgren is also returning.) As per the official synopsis: "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."
Tessa Thompson's back as Bianca, with Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne, Wood Harris as Tony 'Little Duke' Burton, and Andre Ward as Danny 'Stuntman' Wheeler. Hornsby, meanwhile, will be playing Buddy Marcelle. Steven Caple Jr. is in the director's chair, with Stallone providing the latest draft of the script.
And there's good news for those concerned that the first film's director, Ryan Coogler, is sitting this one out – he'll be an executive producer. "When I wrote and directed Creed, I wanted to tell a human story about a family from a new perspective, while also paying homage to the Rocky characters we've all grown up knowing and loving," he says in a statement. "I've known Steven was an amazing filmmaker since our days at USC film school together, so I can't wait to see what he, Sly, Mike and Tessa bring to this next chapter."
Creed II has a scheduled US release set for 21 November this year. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long after that for it to arrive in the UK.
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