It's no secret that CREED III has been in development for a bit now with news breaking in February of this year that Zach Baylin had been brought into the ring to write the screenplay. The film's star, Michael B. Jordan has confirmed on more than one occasion that he will be returning for a third movie but a little blurb dropped by MGM hints that he may be considering taking on a big role behind the camera as well.
The news comes to us via Deadline and they make reference to a report about MGM and their future plans. Most of the plans pertain to what is being done with the long-delayed James Bond movie NO TIME TO DIE but the report also states that the studio is "working on a Creed sequel that Michael B. Jordan is considering to direct." There is no news beyond that quick little hot take but there have been hints in the past that Jordan could be at the helm if a third film when it happens.
Back in 2018, longtime ROCKY franchise producer Irwin Winkler spoke about offering Jordan a shot at directing CREED III in his book, "Life in Movies: Stories From 50 Years in Hollywood." The book reads: "I promised Michael B. Jordan that he'd get his chance to direct Creed 3…Last year (2018) in a conversation with our Creed star Michael B. Jordan, I offered him the opportunity to not only star in but also direct Creed 3." This clearly sets up a precedent for Jordan to take on the challenge and having the support of Winkler probably goes a long way.
Ryan Coogler directed 2015's CREED, while Steven Caple Jr took over on CREED II in 2018. Both films were well-received by critics and fared extremely well at the box office with a gross of $173 million and $214 million worldwide, respectively. At this point, Jordan should know the ins and outs of the franchise so he could very well be the right choice to take on the third installment. As of this writing, Jordan hasn't commented on the blurb dropped by MGM but I can't imagine them letting that out unless those talks weren't actually happening.
Do YOU think Michael B. Jordan should direct CREED III?