Creed

Sylvester Stallone may have said Creed was his last outing as Rocky, but based on how many times he’s said that before, we know not to trust it. As Creed 2 is slowly coming along, Stallone might have an even bigger role in the boxing sequel than his on-screen character.

So, stop us if you‘ve heard this one before: it’s now 2016, yet another Rocky picture has dealt the box-office a swift uppercut, and Stallone is done, seriously, you’ll see, he means it now.

Just last week, Sylvester Stallone — make that Golden Globe award-winner Sylvester Stallone — tossed out some ideas for a Creed sequel, which didn’t seem so far-fetched given the critical and commercial success of Creed. As expected, today comes word that MGM has their sights set on a 2017 release for the sequel, which may very well happen without one key ingredient: director Ryan Coogler.

Creed has been something of a surprise success for Warner Bros. The rare film that is both audiences and critics love and makes money. And you know what that means: SEQUEL TIME!

The National Society of Film Critics, a group made up of fifty-three of the most esteemed, elite American film critics, recently convened for their 50th annual meeting to determine the finest films, performances, as well as other assorted creative and technical achievements in 2015...

Creed isn’t just a surprisingly great contemporary sequel to a classic franchise — it’s also one of the very best films of the year, with director Ryan Coogler proving why indie directors should be given a shot on bigger studio films. Coogler delivers a sequel that honors its past and paves the way for a potential future, with poignant character drama and some truly inspirational sequences. But there’s one knock out scene in particular that’s had people talking, and now you can see how Coogler pulled it off.

Once families finished feasting on Thanksgiving, they had several options: continue enjoying each other’s company in the privacy of their own home, brave the crowds in search of deals at the retail store of their choice, or nip any potential argument over politics in the bud by heading out to the movies. Option three was apparently a popular one this year, as the overall top 10 for the week was the healthiest it has been in awhile, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 fending off The Good Dinosaur and Creed, which still performed well.

Creed is great. It’s certainly better than most people thought it could be, with intensely great performances from Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone (mounting his own comeback of sorts) and the scene-stealing Tessa Thompson, and Ryan Coogler proving himself as a more-than-competent director with his first blockbuster film. Given Rocky’s history of sequels and that Creed essentially passes the torch to Jordan’s eponymous fighter, could we see the actor return for another round?

It may be called Creed, but make no mistake: This is a Rocky movie. This next-gen legacyquel stars Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson Creed, the illegitimate son of Rocky’s late rival and friend Apollo Creed, who decides to follow in his dancing footsteps and become a professional boxer. He heads to Philadelphia and finds former champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) running his restaurant Adrian’s, then convinces him to come out of retirement and help train him for a championship match.

It’s rare for a movie trailer to give me chills. But the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens did.