Creed 3 Can Finally Fix A Bad Rocky Sequel Trend

screenrant.com:

While direct comparisons between the Creed and Rocky movies are not always justified, with the former trying to be its own thing rather than a remake or reboot, Creed III has the opportunity to break a bad Rocky sequel trend. More than four years after Creed II, the story of Adonis Creed returns for the third chapter with Creed III. The trequel will mark the directorial debut of Michael B. Jordan, who plays Creed, and it is set to be a lot different to the Creed franchise from what Rocky III was to Rocky.

Surprisingly, Sylvester Stallone will not return for Creed III. The decision appears to be a creative one, as Michael B. Jordan feels that the Adonis’ story has to move forward without being dependent on Rocky’s. Instead, Creed III will be focused on Adonis and his new family following the events of Creed II. While Creed has tried to be its own thing from the start, it cannot be denied how the first two movies were heavily connected with Rocky’s story. Creed brought Balboa back as a reluctant master, and Creed II’s Ivan Drago return brought back the ghosts of Rocky IV.

Related: Rocky Balboa vs. Adonis Creed: Who Would Win In A Fight

The fact that Creed III is taking the risky stand of moving away from Rocky Balboa shows how confident director Michael B. Jordan and the writers are in the story they want to tell. As such, ifCreed III is at least as good as the first two Creed movies, then the Creed franchise will have done something that Rocky never did – three great, tonally consistent movies in a row. While all of the later Rocky sequels have left their mark on pop culture somehow, especially Rocky IV’s Appolo and Drago story, none of them managed to be as universally praised as Rocky and Rocky II. In fact, Rocky III,