Michael B. Jordan Bombed His Audition for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Michael B. Jordan is such an acclaimed and beloved actor at this point in his career, that audiences frequently imagine him in any given role that opens up. At one point not so long ago, though, he had what he describes as a fairly catastrophic audition for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His reasoning? The sample audition sides provided to actors in order to avoid spoilers on the hugely-anticipated return to a galaxy far, far away, ended up being so vague that he did not feel like he could connect with the character, ending up in a performance that he said was a bomb.

It worked out pretty well for all involved, of course. Star Wars: The Force Awakens went on to be a massive commercial hit which kickstarted the careers of virtually every young actor in its cast, and was released in 2015 — the same year Jordan’s role in Creed made him a household name.

“I think it was I couldn’t wrap my brain around some of the sides because you know when you’re reading for these high-level projects, there’s never really any specificity in the sides,” Jordan told Indiewire. “Everything’s like super vague; everything is in secret. Reading through, I just couldn’t connect it. I definitely bombed that one for sure.”

Creed 3, coming in November 2022, will mark Jordan’s directorial debut, but in a statement that accompanied the announcement he confirmed it’s something he’s been eager to do for some time.

“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” Jordan said in a statement when the announcement was made. “‘Creed 3′ is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment…This franchise and in particular the themes of ‘Creed 3‘ are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.”

Plot details for Creed 3 have not yet been confirmed, but in the years since Creed II, the cast have speculated about where it could go and who might be included, with Jordan himself previously suggesting that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder play the son of Clubber Lang — Mister T’s Rocky III bad guy — in a third Creed installment.

Check back for more news on Creed 3 as we learn about it!