Michael B. Jordan’s preparations for Creed 3 are already underway. Celebrity trainer Corey Calliet shared a video of the actor, 34, during an intense workout session on Instagram on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Michael could be seen working on his arms and upper body strength in the clip.
“Director by day building a body at night!” the celebrity trainer captioned the post. “In order to achieve the great reward a certain amount of consistency must be attained…”
The star is getting into shape for Creed 3, the upcoming third installment of the Rocky spin-off franchise popularized by Sylvester Stallone. Not only will he reprise his role as Adonis “Donnie” Creed and serve as producer, but Michael will also make his directorial debut. The first two installments were directed by Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr., respectively. The actor said directing has been an “aspiration” for him in a statement issued to various outlets in April.
“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” he said. “Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment.”
Michael added, “This franchise and in particular the themes of Creed III are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.” Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad will reprise their roles as Adonis’ wife Bianca and his adoptive mother Mary Anne, respectively. Notably absent this time around will be Rocky himself, Sylvester.
Michael told IGN in April that Sylvester’s “essence” and “spirit” will forever remain a part of the franchise. “I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn’t coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… there’s always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis,” he said. “But this is a Creed franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward.”
He continued, “So, it’s always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he’s built, but we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created. Hopefully you guys will love what I’m thinking, what we’re cooking up. I think it’s going to be something special.” Creed 3 is scheduled for a Nov. 23, 2022 theatrical release date.
