The latest movie in the Rocky franchise is set to hit theaters on March 3, 2023. Creed 3 will be released that day and will be the first movie to not include Sylvester Stallone in an on-screen role. He remains a producer, but Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed character appears to be the sole “good guy” in the movie.
Warner Brothers dropped the first trailer for the movie on October 18, and we get a good idea what the plotline involves. A character named Damian Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors, arrives out of jail and from Creed’s past. We see a flashback to them getting arrested by the police as younger versions of themselves. Much of the trailer revolves around Major’s character getting busy in the gym and potentially turn into a champion who challenges Creed.
If you have not seen the original movies, the movie appears to offer some solid drama and arguably the most on the line for Adonis Creed. However, if you’ve seen most or all of the Rocky movies, you might think he is connected in some way to Rocky III villain Clubber Lang. Rumors have been circulating since promo photos dropped, likely connected to the fact that the first two Creed movies featured someone connected to the storylines in previous movies. Creed I used some of the Rocky I storyline with Rocky losing to Apollo Creed but gaining respect. Creed II had Creed fighting the son of Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago.
It’s possible Anderson has a Clubber Lang connection, but with Sylvester Stallone no longer appearing, I suspect this movie will steer mostly clear of the canon and nostalgia that we saw previously, particularly in Creed II.
Whatever the writers decided with this one, it looks like it should be a high drama affair that can build off a great first Creed movie and a solid second one.