Creed III: Michael B. Jordan Teases “Anime Influence” on Sequel

After a delay, Creed III is finally being released in March and will see Michael B. Jordan return as Adonis Creed. Not only is the Marvel star playing the film’s lead, but this will mark his first feature as director. 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.”

He added, “It’s tough. You got a mouthpiece in sometimes, you got gloves. You’re always depending on so many people. Your team is everything. So, to be able to be in the middle of a boxing scene, honestly, it’s sometimes easier because I can direct while I’m acting. If I need to move you upstage a little bit, I just move a little bit like this, and then I get the shot that I need.”

Back in 2019, THR spoke with Jordan about his production company, Outlier Society, and the anime series gen:LOCK. During the chat, Jordan explained how anime helped shaped him…

“I just grew up on it. I evolved from watching Saturday morning cartoons. Next, I discovered other forms of animation, Disney and Pixar. Then, of course, once the internet really got going, I was able to find animation from Japan. My passion just grew over the years, and I found myself being an avid anime fan.”

Who Stars in Creed III? 

Creed III sees Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis facing off with Damian who is being played by Marvel star Jonathan Majors. The cast also includes returning stars Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Felicia Rashad, as well as new cast members Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Mila Davis-Kent, and Canelo Álvarez. However, originally Rocky star Sylvester Stallone will not be appearing in the film. 

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