Creed III: Trailer teases Adonis facing his past + Q&A with Michael B. Jordan

The new Creed III trailer has finally arrived, and it looks like Adonis Creed has found himself a brutal new opponent in Jonathan Majors’ Anderson Dame. The trailer explains that Adonis and Anderson grew up together, only for the latter to do a seventeen-year stretch in prison, losing his opportunity to become a world-class boxer in his own right. Now, he’s looking for a little payback. The film, which Michael B. Jordan also directs, looks extremely compelling, with Adonis and Anderson seeming to bond over their shared history before the latter becomes especially brutal in the ring and can’t let go of the beef he has with Adonis. Of course, this all leads to a climactic in-ring battle.

Notably, the movie addresses the whole “what happened to Rocky” aspect right off the bat, with Creed explaining that he’s built his legacy on the shoulders of Rocky and his late father, Apollo, and needs to make something of his own. Even still, there still seems to be a lot of respect being paid to the Italian Stallion, with a poster of Rocky Balboa prominently hanging in Little Duke’s (Wood Harris) gym as Adonis and Anderson spar.

You can check out the trailer above, but recently, to promote the release, Jordan sat down for a Q&A with the press where he discussed making his directing debut on such an ambitious movie:

“I think for me it was the perfect time. I think growing up on set, in the industry over 20 years – I started out doing background work and extra work and just kind of just seeing the sets evolve, seeing everybody’s job, seeing how a real production’s storytelling took place. I finally got to this place in my career where I wanted to tell a story and not just be in front of the camera, not just execute somebody else’s vision. And having a character that I’ve played twice before, it’s been seven, eight years living with this guy. So to be able to tell a story of where I believe Adonis is at, and also at 35 years old, I had a lot to say as a young man, as a young Black man, just my life experiences and how I could actually share that, share a piece of myself with the world – through these characters and through this story. So I just felt like it was the right time. You know, I was talking to Ryan Coogler back when we were doing CREED I, and he was just like, It’s never the right time. You just gotta jump in the deep end and go for it, you know?
And he gave me a lot of encouragement. So I just felt like it was the right time for me.“

That said, he acknowledged that getting into peak physical shape for the role, while also working as a director wasn’t always easy:

It’s one of those things where you know… I’m a little sick, I must have a problem, you know, because it’s low-key torture, but at the same time it’s so much fun. And the challenge ,once you know the challenge of accomplishing it all, you know, the multitasking nature of it to develop a story.

Trying to stay in shape, give all the departments what they individually need to go do their job and have my process as Adonis as well. It’s really hard to put into words, man. Every day was a struggle, but honestly, it was the team of people that I had around me.

You really gotta surround yourself with the right help so you can focus on the things you need to focus on. Doing two things at one time, three things at one time – it’s just a part of the job. I used to see Ryan, Steven Caple Jr. on these projects towards the end of production and going into post.

And you would see ’em, they’d be a little run down, a little tired. I got a little more pep in my step, a little more energy, clearly, cause I don’t have nearly the workload that they did, and I would empathize with them.

Like, “nah, it’s okay, man. I get it, I get it.” I did not get anything. I had no idea. It’s only now I can really look at them, you know, eye to eye and be like, “You know what? I get it. I understand.” And they’re like, “Yeah, you finally get it.” So it was an acknowledgment, you know, once you step behind the camera, the undertaking that that is, you know, from the outside looking in, it seems, you know, tough. Yeah. But it’s extremely hard to do.

He also reinforced how lucky he was to have such heavy hitters like Jonathan Majors and Tessa Thompson as his co-stars:

Okay. I think first of all, Jonathan Majors is incredible. Very, very blessed and lucky to have him be a part of this, this story. And for me as a director, just to have that running mate and have that scene partner you know, it made all the difference in the world.

I think he’s extremely talented. The world is finding out daily, you know, how incredible this man is in the work that he does, is finally getting the props that’s due. And Jonathan was incredible, man. He showed up every day ready, ready to go to war, ready to work.

You know, me and him bonded in a way that I never had an opportunity to. And I guess it’s my first time directing that relationship between, you know, director and actor. I really understand that now, and it’s a bond that’ll last forever. So just really lucky to have that gentleman by my side, you know, while I’m going through this process.

It was extremely helpful, and you know, the character Damian you’ll find out more about, but definitely a pivotal person and a pillar in Adonis’s life that kind of, you know, that comes back around and needs to kind of get addressed. So there’s that. And then there’s the incredible Tessa Thompson that I’ve been so lucky to work with over the years.

She’s a rock, you know. Trust is a huge thing, you know, and having earned each other’s trust, you know, being in scenes together. And now having her trust me with a story was the biggest compliment that she’s given me thus far. The encouragement and confidence that I have with my cast helps me go out and do things that seem, you know, impossible or really, really tough to do. So knowing I got that support in front of the camera with these guys, knowing they’re giving me this space to do all the other things that a director has to do and still show up every day, giving 110%. You know these two guys are right there. I’m blessed.

Creed III comes out March 3rd, 2023! Did you like the Creed III trailer? Let us know in the comments!