Michael B. Jordan Could Direct Creed III

Creed star Michael B. Jordan says he's "definitely" in for another round as Adonis 'Donnie' Johnson Creed, the champion fighter son of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) mentored by Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), in what could be his first effort behind the camera.

"Yeah, we're definitely gonna do Creed III. I don't know when, though," Jordan told ET Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Jordan was on hand for the world premiere of true story drama Just Mercy.

Longtime Rocky franchise producer Irwin Winkler revealed in his book, A Life in Movies: Stories From 50 Years in Hollywood, he approached Jordan to both star in and make his directorial debut on Creed III (via Men's Health).

"I promised Michael B. Jordan that he'd get his chance to direct Creed III," Winkler wrote. "Last year in a conversation with our Creed star Michael B. Jordan, I offered him the opportunity to not only star in, but also to direct Creed III." A similar deal was extended to Stallone, who starred in and directed Rocky II, III, IV and Rocky Balboa.

Creed II ended with new father Donnie on top after defeating dangerous rival Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of ex-fighter Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who killed Apollo in the ring more than 30 years earlier. That ending also brought closure for boxing vet and estranged family man Rocky, a role Stallone claimed to have retired with Creed II.

Calling Creed II his "last rodeo" as Rocky in an Instagram post published in 2018, Stallone formally passed the torch to Jordan.

"I thought Rocky was over in 2006 and I was very happy with that. And then all of a sudden this young man presented himself, and the whole story changed," Stallone said. "It went on to a new generation, new problems, new adventures. And I couldn't be happier, because as I step back — as my story has been told — there's a whole new world that's gonna be opening up for the audience, for this generation."

Both Stallone's Creed II co-stars Lundgren and Munteanu expressed doubts Stallone would step away from the franchise. The stars would be proven correct when Stallone revealed plans for a new spinoff that would follow Rocky taking in an alien fighter.

"Rocky meets a young, angry person who got stuck in this country when he comes to see his sister. He takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of the border. It's very, very timely," Stallone told Variety, adding the proposed story would touch on immigration issues in the United States. "Do you tell someone that you just met in the street who's struggling and homeless to get out, or do you take him in? If you take him in, you're in trouble."

Just Mercy opens January 10.