Creed II
| Creed II | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Caple Jr. |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Based on |
Characters by Sylvester Stallone |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ludwig Göransson |
| Cinematography | Kramer Morgenthau |
| Edited by |
Dana E. Glauberman Saira Haider |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Creed II is an upcoming American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr., and written by Sylvester Stallone and Juel Taylor. A sequel to Creed (2015) and the eighth installment in the Rocky film series, it stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, Andre Ward, Wood Harris, Brigitte Nielsen and Milo Ventimiglia. Creed writer-director Ryan Coogler serves as an executive producer on the film.
The film follows Adonis Creed training in order to defeat the son of Ivan Drago, the powerful athlete who killed his father in the ring more than 30 years prior. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 21, 2018.
Premise
Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what is worth fighting for, and discover that nothing is more important than family.
Cast
- Michael B. Jordan as Adonis "Donnie" Creed: An underdog but talented light heavyweight boxer and the son of world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. He goes by the name Donnie Johnson.
- Sylvester Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr.: A two-time world heavyweight champion and Apollo's rival-turned-friend who becomes Adonis' trainer and mentor. He owns and operates an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia named after his deceased wife, Adrian.
- Tessa Thompson as Bianca Porter: Adonis's girlfriend, who since the first film has become the mother of his child. Also a singer-songwriter with progressive hearing loss.
- Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago: Russia's former prize champion boxer, who with the secret use of steroids and advanced training, gained worldwide attention due to his brute strength that had not been seen before. Years prior, he killed Apollo Creed during an exhibition boxing match, and was later defeated by Rocky.
- Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago: Drago's son who is also a boxer, and Adonis' new rival. He despises Adonis for their families' history as a result of being raised in contempt by his father.
- Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne Creed: Apollo's widow and Adonis' stepmother, who takes in Adonis as a child following the death of Adonis' biological mother.
- Andre Ward as Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler: A light heavyweight boxer.
- Wood Harris as Tony "Little Duke" Evers: One of Wheeler's assistant trainers. His father, Tony "Duke" Evers, was a father-figure for Apollo as well as his trainer/manager when Apollo became world heavyweight champion. He then became one of Rocky's trainers after Apollo's death.
- Brigitte Nielsen as Ludmila Drago: Ivan's wife and Viktor's mother.[1][2][3]
- Milo Ventimiglia as Robert Balboa, Jr.: Rocky's son, who moved to Vancouver in the period between Rocky Balboa and Creed.[4]
- Russell Hornsby as Buddy Marcelle
- Jacob "Stitch" Duran as himself
- Roy Jones Jr. as himself
- Michael Buffer as himself
- Evander Holyfield as himself
- Sugar Ray Leonard as himself
Production
Pre-production
On January 5, 2016, Sylvester Stallone and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures' CEO Gary Barber confirmed to Variety that a sequel to Creed was in development.[5] The same month, Stallone posed the possibility of seeing Milo Ventimiglia appear in the sequel, reprising his role as Rocky's son Robert Balboa from Rocky Balboa.[6] Ventimiglia previously revealed during the development of Creed that he was open to returning to the franchise, stating, "I'll tell you what, if they invited me, I'd love to be there. If they didn't, I wouldn't be offended."[7] It was revealed in April 2018 that Ventimiglia would have an appearance in the film.[8] On January 11, 2016, Barber revealed that Ryan Coogler would not be returning due to scheduling conflicts, because he was attached to Black Panther, though he would return as executive producer.[9] Michael B. Jordan's schedule ended up being delayed due to Black Panther, as he was starring in that film.[9] In July 2017, Stallone confirmed that he had completed the script for the sequel, and also revealed that Ivan Drago would be featured in the film.[10] In October 2017, it was announced that Stallone would direct and produce the film.[11] However, in December 2017, it was reported that Steven Caple Jr. would instead direct the film with Tessa Thompson confirmed to reprise her role of Bianca, Creed's love interest.[12] In January 2018, Romanian boxer and kickboxer Florian Munteanu was cast in the film to play Drago's son with Dolph Lundgren set to reprise his role of Drago.[13] In March 2018, Russell Hornsby joined the cast while Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Andre Ward were confirmed to reprise their roles from the prior film.[14]
Filming
Principal photography began in March 2018.[15][16] Filming occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's Port Richmond neighborhood,[17] and was completed on June 7, 2018.[18]
Release
Creed II is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 21, 2018.[19]
References
- ↑ Brigitte Nielsen filming Creed 2 this week? — Moviehole.net
- ↑ Creed 2: The First Week Filming, Plus Stallone Surprises Tourists at Rocky Statue — Philly Chit Chat
- ↑ Creed 2 Week 2 — Michael B Jordan & Brigitte Nielsen Spotted In Philly PLUS — Philly Chit Chat
- ↑ Creed 2: Milo Ventimiglia — This Is Us — Returns and More from the Set — Philly Chit Chat
- ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin (January 5, 2016). "Sylvester Stallone Says 'Creed' Sequel Could Reunite Rocky and Apollo (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ↑ Friedman, Roger (January 4, 2016). "Oscar Favorite Sylvester Stallone Says "Creed II" Could Bring Back Rocky's Son". Showbiz 411. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ↑ Topel, Fred (August 3, 2013). "Exclusive: Milo Ventimiglia Ready for Creed Comeback". Crave. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ↑ Creed 2: Milo Ventimiglia — This Is Us — Returns and More from the Set — Philly Chit Chat
- 1 2 Setoodeh, Ramin (January 11, 2016). "'Creed' Sequel Aims for November 2017 Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ↑ Evry, Max (July 21, 2017). "Drago Confirmed for Creed II as Stallone Finishes Script". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ↑ Desta, Yohana. "He's Back: Sylvester Stallone Will Direct Creed 2". HWD. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (2017-12-11). "Steven Caple Jr. to Direct 'Creed 2' Starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (January 15, 2018). ""Creed 2": Florian "Big Nasty" Munteanu to Play Dolph Lundgren's Son and Michael B. Jordan's Opponent (Exclusive)". The Tracking Board. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (April 2, 2018). "Russell Hornsby Joins 'Creed II'; Melvin Gregg Cast In 'High Flying Bird'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ↑ "'Creed II' filming at the Art Museum: Dolph Lundgren spotted - Philly".
- ↑ "Creed 2 Starts Filming as First Set Photos Emerge". 16 March 2018.
- ↑ Mondon, Marielle (2018-04-03). "Don't freak out but Michael B. Jordan is training at this local gym". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
- ↑ "That's a wrap on Philly". Creed. June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Trumbore, Dave. "'Creed 2' Release Date Confirmed for Late November 2018". Collider. Retrieved April 20, 2017.