Michael B. Jordan Gets to Work in First Creed 3 Set Photos
Production is finally underway on Creed 3 in Atlanta, Georgia and the first photos from the set have made their way online, showing off star Michael B. Jordan back in a jumpsuit and getting ready for the ring. You can find one of the photos below and a handful more over at The Daily Mail. Jordan, like franchise creator Sylvester Stallone, will make the leap to being behind the cameras in addition to in front of it, stepping in as director for the third film in the revitalized franchise. Creed III will mark Jordan's first time as a director, stepping in for Ryan Coogler (Creed) and Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II).
"I think it was one of those things where I just felt comfortable," Jordan previously said on The Late Show about his directorial debut. "I knew it was going to be a risk. I'm super excited to get behind the camera....But from two project, the first two movies, finally having an opinion and a story that I wanted to tell, execute the vision that I saw in my head. From the second one to the third one I called Ryan (Coogler) up and he's like 'You're ready for it.'"
When asked if the Creed and Black Panther filmmaker had dispensed any advice to him, Jordan revealed the answer to be an emphatic yes.
"Lots of advice, prep....Figure out your shotlist, get a storyboard artist, start boarding the shots....and for me that's going to save me so much time so I'm not there on the day worried about 'Okay, where am I going to put the camera? where am I going to put my actors?' So that is something that I'm taking with me every day when I go on these location scouts, and basically trust the people that are around you to help you out, you don't have to shoulder it all on your own."
Another big change that the new Creed movie will be making compared to the other two films is that Stallone will not appear as an older Rocky Balboa.
"I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn't coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… there's always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis," Jordan previously told IGN about the star's absence. "But this is a Creed franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward. So, it's always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he's built, but we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created. So, hopefully you guys will love what I'm thinking… what we're cooking up. I think it's going to be something special."
Creed III is currently scheduled to open in theaters on November 23, 2022.