NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Why so much hostility from Sylvester Stallone regarding the new Creed 3 movie? Although Stallone is not a part of the film, that still has not stopped him from offering his two cents on the famous franchise he created. I guess for some, it’s hard to let go.
It’s hard to let go of something you not only built but created and watch blossom for decades. However, this is a new era. And to be quite honest, this is a Creed franchise now and not a Rocky franchise. However, Stallone’s frustration is not with Jordan per se. His issue is that he sold the rights to the franchise as early as 1976 to Irwin Winkler.
While he did write the original movie, this is still a business, and no one has to double-check with anyone. If Stallone didn’t sell the rights, then he should have as much say so as possible. It’s a hard pill to swallow for fans as well because we have all tied Rocky and Creed to Stallone.
This is what Stallone had to say regarding the movie that’s set to drop in 2023.
That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been,” Stallone said of the upcoming franchise installment. “It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy – Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s. I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness.
The issue here is that from the trailers that have been released so far, Creed 3 is carrying on the Rocky tradition. What Stallone is worried about is the franchise going too dark. How much darker can they go from any of the previous Rocky and Creed movies Stallone was a part of?
The original Rocky film centered on an up-and-coming boxer who made it to the big stage with the heavyweight champ. Let’s be realistic here, where does that actually happen at? In Rocky 2, it was a redemption story but we also dealt with the sickness of Adrian to the point where Rocky did not want to fight Apollo again.
Creed 3 Pays Homage To All Rocky Movies
Going further into the story, Rocky lost Mickey in Rocky 3, lost Apollo Creed in Rocky 4, lost his money in Rocky 5 then lost his wife, Paulie, and was estranged from his own son. Then he meets Adonis and refuses to train him but learned he had cancer and decides against treatment. So none of his previous Rocky or Creed movies are not dark?
Keeping up with the storylines, first-time director (Creed 3) Michael B. Jordan is keeping the Rocky and Creed gradiometers alive with what appears to be great storytelling.
Adonis comes face to face with his past and faces a foe that’s looking to destroy. What’s the difference between Damian and Drago? And what’s even more fitting is that Adonis decides to possibly train Damian and things go wrong the same way they did with Rocky and Tommy Gunn. Once again, what’s the issue Sylvester Stallone has here with the franchise going dark or a different route?
By all accounts, Jordan is keeping up with the story the same way Stallone has done. It’s the exact same format. Underdog turned champ. Personal struggles, redemption, family, hardships, and then another shot at redemption. Once again, where did the story change so drastically?
After a while, the Rocky stories became stale and that was the reason to take it to the next level with Jordan and the Creed movies. There is no need for Sylvester Stallone to be angry, he should be thankful that his legacy is still living on decades later with a new generation.
