Although many thought that the Rocky franchise is dead, Sylvester Stallone managed to bring it back and make it exciting again with the movie Creed. Luckily for all of us who like boxing movies, Stallone doesn’t intend to stop there. He already finished writing the script for Creed 2 and will probably bring back one of the franchise’s cult characters, Russian boxer Ivan Drago.
The news about Creed’s sequel was announced in January 2016, when Stallone and the MGM studios both confirmed that Creed 2 is in the works. Stallone will return in his role as Rocky Balboa, while Michael B. Jordan will reprise his role of Adonis Creed. It was even hinted that Milo Ventimiglia is set to make an appearance as Balboa’s son. Ventimiglia previously portrayed the same role in 2006’s Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI). The initial release date of the movie was November 2017, but it was later pushed back to an indefinite date in 2018.
Released in 2015, Creed is the spin-off to the Rocky series. Although met with skepticism before the release, Creed made a strong case at the box office, earning $173.6 million compared to the $40 million initial budget. The movie was also a success with the critics, who described it as a fresh start for the franchise that also stayed true to the roots.
Sylvester Stallone was particularly praised for his portrayal of aged boxing coach Rocky Balboa. Stallone received numerous awards and recognition for the role, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also received an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor but lost it to Mark Rylance.
