Michael B. Jordan dodges Rocky ownership question

After its massive debut at the box office, Creed III has solidified a number of things, including that the spinoff franchise has a farther reach than Apollo Creed and that Michael B. Jordan may be a legitimate one-two punch as actor and director. But how do Jordan and Sylvester Stallone compare in terms of legacy regarding Rocky and Creed? And does Jordan have what it takes to bank on the franchise more than Stallone has been able to?

In a new conversation with Deadline, the interviewer noted that Sylvester Stallone has been “bitter about his original Rocky deal and being locked out of the generational legacy of that franchise.” Stallone has indeed been open about the deal–or lack thereof–he got from the Rocky franchise. Even though he created the character and the franchise, he doesn’t hold the rights, at one point saying, “Who knew Rocky would go on for another 45 years? I’ve never used one [line of dialogue] from anyone else – and the irony is that I don’t own any of it. The people who have done literally nothing control it.” So, where does Michael B. Jordan stand in terms of ownership and what he could leave behind, at least compared to Stallone and Rocky? Floating like a butterfly around the question, Jordan said, “That’s a very intelligent question. And I love you for it. Cause there’s parts of that I really want to answer, but I feel like that’s such a slippery slope and I’m not sure how to answer that, right now.”

Decent enough dodge, although the comments from both Jordan and Liz Raposo–partner in Jordan’s Outlier Society Productions–do suggest there is a better grip on ownership and expansion. As Raposo put it, “We believe that given the incredible franchise IP we’re into that we can continue to show audiences that we make global entertainment with diversity and inclusion at its core.” Jordan followed up, not mentioning Rocky or Creed, “This all gives us the currency to be part of the other big IP in a way that many production companies don’t really get that opportunity to do. Proving ourselves on this one shows that we can do this, soup to nuts.”

While those comments don’t necessarily reveal where Jordan and company are interested in taking the Rocky (uh, we mean Creed) franchise, it does show a level of commitment to developing works with franchise potential.

Do you want to see more Creed movies or should Michael B. Jordan expand past the Rocky franchise? Let us know!