Creed 3

Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors face off in the boxing ring in the first trailer for "Creed III," the latest entry in the "Rocky" spinoff series.

The “Lovecraft Country” star insisted the physicality of his character played into his emotional arc as a hellbent boxer willing to risk everything in the ring. “Trust is a huge thing, and having earned each other’s trust being in scenes together, and now having her trust me as a storyteller was the biggest compliment that she’s given me thus far,” he said. “This movie has a lot of me in it and hopefully a lot of other people as well. Thematically, Jordan teased that “family is always the core” of the “Creed” movies, as well as heart, so it was important to weigh in on what Donnie and Bianca’s lives are like now as they navigate their marriage, parenthood and careers as young adults. Jordan](https://variety.com/t/michael-b-jordan/) versus [Jonathan Majors](https://variety.com/t/jonathan-majors/) in the first trailer for “ [Creed III](https://variety.com/t/creed-iii/),” and who will win this brawl is anybody’s guess. He explained: “The challenge of accomplishing it all, the multitasking nature of it to develop story, try to stay in shape and give all the departments what they individually need and then have my process as Adonis, it’s really hard to put into words. In fact, Jordan first approached “Creed” director Ryan Coogler about the prospect of directing while filming the first movie in 2015 and Coogler gave him some sage advice. “I would empathize with them and say, ‘It’s okay man, I get it.’ I did not get anything,” he admitted. “But seriously, for the montage, what are the stakes? “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 the story of where I believe Adonis is at,” he continued. I must have a problem because it’s lowkey torture, but at the same time, it’s so much fun.” “I spent the last seven years of my life living out my wildest dreams,” Donnie says.

Michael B. Jordan directs the third installment in the Rocky Balboa spinoff series Creed 3. The movie brings fellow MCU alum Jonathan Majors in as Adonis ...

The trailer is both a great sell for the film and also a hell of a promo for the big Creed-Dame fight. The second film [is better not talked about](https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/16/18098571/creed-2-review-michael-b-jordan). Jordan) against the son of Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) rival Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), Jonathan Majors plays Anderson Dame, a childhood friend of Creed’s who shared his rough upbringing but without the golden parachute of boxing royalty there to rescue him. [Creed](https://www.polygon.com/2015/7/1/8877037/creed-movie-trailer-rocky-apollo-sylvester-stallone) movie was the kind of film that made you want to run a lap around the entire goddamn globe. I can’t wait to see them fight it out.

The lead actor makes his directorial feature debut with the highly anticipated sports drama, which will land in theaters in March 2023.

I think it was a reflection of where I was in my life professionally and personally, and I have a lot to say around that, so I figured I'd progress things there. I think it was important to get to a pivotal point in Adonis' career. Mentally for me, it was just taking it a day at a time, but at the same time, it was ten steps ahead. Me and him bonded in a way that I never had an opportunity to. Having him as that running mate and scene partner made all the difference in the world. Dealing with Bianca, Tessa Thompson's character, since Creed and how that evolved to her becoming a mother and the possibility of our child being hard of hearing and ultimately being deaf, how the family evolves and grows, how do they deal with that obstacle and turn it into a superpower? I wanted to create a story where everybody felt like they could relate to something in this movie. She's deaf, and learning ASL and normalizing it was a really big deal for us. I think it was naturally the right evolution of the Creed family. It was a community of people that didn't get true representation as much as they should have, and we use this as an opportunity to do that. I just felt like it was the right time. Here are a few of the highlights.