Creed III: Michael B. Jordan Says He Has to Direct Again

Creed III is finally hitting theaters next month, and the threequel will mark the directorial debut of Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed in the Rocky spinoff films. The new movie sees Creed facing off with his former childhood friend, Damian Anderson, who is being played by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Jonathan Majors. While it’s unclear if this will be the last Creed film (there were six Rocky movies before Jordan joined the franchise), the actor is interested in directing again. In fact, he recently told Good Morning America that it’s something he has to do. 

“I have to,” Jordan said when asked if he wants to direct again. “All the lessons that I learned on this first try, I want to get back at it and do it again. I kind of love it. I love it.” During the interview, Jordan also talked about his favorite aspect of directing as well as the difficulties of directing and starring in the same movie.

“I think as an actor you’re always a part of somebody else’s vision and you’re trying to be the best you can to the best of your ability,” he said. “But when you have a vision in your head — and you can see it clearly — to get other people to see the exact same thing that you see, I think that’s really satisfying.” He added, “Being able to prep, train and prepare for the next day of shooting — that’s probably … what the hardest thing was for me.”

Which Anime Influenced Creed III?

In the past, Jordan has talked about his love for anime, and he revealed during an interview with The Tonight Show (via Collider) that his love for Japanese animation had an influence on the third Creed film. 

“It was a gift and a curse,” Jordan said of directing the film. “There’s been eight other movies before me, and we’ve shot – you can shoot a boxing match so many different ways. I think ’cause I was kinda put in a corner, it forced me to be more creative and really think outside the box of how to make the fights different…and I had a huge Japanese anime influence on a lot of my fighters.”

Previously Jordan listed hits like My Hero Academia, Naruto, Hajime no Ippo, and Megalobox. All of these series feature passionate protagonists who know how to throw a bunch, and Hajime no Ippo and Megalobox are both about boxing. However, Jordan’s biggest influence was Dragon Ball Z. 

“There’s a punch in me and Damien’s fight where there’s a Dragon Ball Z punch,” the actor shared with IGN. 

Creed III is scheduled to be released on March 3rd.