Approaching a sequel can be daunting, no matter who you are or what the role is. But for actor Michael B. Jordan, who makes his sequel debut reprising his role of Adonis "Donnie" Creed in Creed II, it's even more of a challenge than normal. So when given a chance to ask him what the biggest hurdle was when donning his star spangled trunks again, he had the following answer:
Trying to keep things fresh. Finding new places for Adonis to go that we haven't seen before in other movies and other films. And raising the stakes, without making it cheesy. You know, we wanted to feel organic and grounded and still real and still honest to Adonis and Bianca and Rocky. What was the next step of his life? Where would he be in his relationship, in his career? In his head and his heart? Where's he at? I think that was kind of the hardest thing to figure out.
During the recent press day for Creed II, CinemaBlend spoke with Jordan about Creed II's various challenges, as well as where he may want to see the franchise go in the future. As far as the here and now is concerned, Michael B. Jordan is much like everyone else onboard for director Steven Caple Jr.'s big franchise and feature film debut: keeping things fresh, and from the heart.
It's a sentiment that's not hard to conjure when thinking of the past history of the Rocky franchise. With the spectre of the infamous fifth sequel in Sylvester Stallone's original run still haunting those who dare mention the prospect of another installment, the fear that the series might lose its way again is something that's still motivates those involved to keep it on the straight and narrow. At their worst, the sequels in the series can feel like exercises in ego; but at their best, they remember that the heart of the underdog is where the best stories lie.
Creed II definitely feels like a step in the right direction. That's mostly because it followed the example set by its predecessor, opting to follow a story that remembers to raise the emotional stakes along with the physical action ante. One word rules the sequel, "Family." And if potential future sequels in the Creed saga follow Michael B. Jordan's example, family will prevail in the fight.
You can see Michael B. Jordan explaining the situation himself, courtesy of the video from our interview with him as part of the Creed II press day festivities:
While the potential path to Creed III will obviously wind through the aftermath of Creed II's narrative, knowing that Michael B. Jordan doesn't see playing Adonis's road to victory as merely a rote paycheck gig is quite assuring. If there's another round in the future of the saga, it has a good chance of being just as special as the first two.
Creed II is in theaters with early showings tomorrow night, making its proper debut on Wednesday, November 21st.
