With filming underway on writer/director Ryan Coogler's Rocky spin-off Creed, a new synopsis has been released revealing just what's in store. Along with that come some details of the cast that's supporting Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone.
We say 'spin-off', but Creed, despite Stallone's protestations, is sounding more and more like Rocky VII, officially described in MGM and Warners' press release as "a new chapter in the Rocky story". The plot weighs in as follows (containing what you might consider a spoiler):
"Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.
"Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.
"With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title… but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?"
Of the new cast information, it turns out that Tessa Thompson (Selma) is Adonis' musician love interest Bianca; Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show's Claire Huxtable) is Apollo's widow Mary Anne Creed; and Brit boxer Tony Bellew is another boxing champ and Adonis' rival, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan.
The original Creed, of course, was played by Carl Weathers, and served as the big rival to Rocky in the first two films. The pair eventually became close friends, until Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago pummelled Creed to death in Rocky IV. So you can understand why Rocky might be a little concerned about Creed's son putting on the gloves. The idea of Rocky slipping into the Burgess Meredith trainer role was explored once before in Rocky V, before the Italian Stallion got back in the ring himself in Rocky Balboa.
Stallone is producing Creed, along with Robert Chartoff, Kevin King Templeton and Irwin Winkler. Coogler wrote the screenplay with Aaron Covington, and the film now has a release date of November 25 this year. We'll next see Jordan in the Fantastic Four, out on August 6.