Creed 3: Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky sitting this round out?

When it was announced that Michael B. Jordan would be directing and starring in the long-awaited Creed III a few weeks ago, many fans wondered whether Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa would be returning to the franchise. After all, during the production of Creed II, Stallone did famously post a video on Instagram publicly retiring from the role and passing the torch to Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed, but many thought he could eventually change his mind. Alas, Sly confirmed to a fan via a response on his Instagram page a few days ago that he would indeed not be returning. Thanks to our reader Michael T. Scott for pointing out this easy to miss comment.

While it’s a shame The Italian Stallion’s not going to be a part of Creed III, I can’t help but be excited for the further adventures of Adonis Creed. What’s interesting is that Jordan seems to be following in Sly’s footsteps to some degree.  Stallone famously directed many installments of the Rocky saga himself. And of course, just because Sly’s sitting this round out doesn’t mean he’s done with the franchise or the character. In 2019, Stallone told THR he had an idea for a new installment where Rocky trains an undocumented immigrant, plus just last week, he posted a treatment for a proposed Rocky prequel TV series.

So what do you think — are you still psyched for Creed III even without Stallone? And do you think he might come back in a future Creed movie?