Owen Winkler says Michael B. Jordan will direct – IndieWire

After Creed III grossed $275 million worldwide and established Michael B. Jordan as a formidable director, there wasn’t much real doubt as to whether the Rocky spin-off series would continue. . The big question is whether Jordan will return to directing or use his newfound filmmaking clout to pursue other projects.

According to longtime “Rocky” producer Owen Winkler, Jordan will actually return to direct the as-yet-untitled “Creed 4.”in a series of video clips Sharer expiration dateWinkler provided an update on the sequel’s striking delays in development and Jordan’s creative involvement.

“We’re planning on making Creed 4 right now. We think we have a really good story, a really good plot,” Winkler said, adding that the project should be in pre-production in about a year.

When asked if Jordan would be interested in directing “Creed 4,” Winkler gave a blunt answer: “I shouldn’t say it, but he would,” which earned him applause.

The lengthy development time means Creed 4 isn’t necessarily Jordan’s next directorial effort. While he has yet to announce any other filmmaking projects, he is currently set to star alongside Will Smith in the I Am Legend sequel and in Chad Stahelski’s upcoming Tom Clancy adaptation Rainbow “No. 6”.

Regardless of the next narrative direction for the series, Creed 4 will likely take place without Sylvester Stallone’s involvement. Although the actor reprized his role as Rocky Balboa in Ryan Coogler’s “Creed” and took on additional writing duties for “Creed II,” he was not involved in work on “Creed III” and was not involved at all. He made no secret of his dissatisfaction with Winkler’s management of the franchise.

“It’s a classic case of them going around and picking every aspect of Rocky without even asking me if I wanted to be in it,” Stallone said of Creed 3 in a 2023 interview. “I’m not Executive producer of the “Tenet” movies. Ryan Coogler is. Michael B. Jordan is. (Owen Winkler and Robert Chartoff’s) kids are. Not mine. “I’m The only one left out. “

In addition to his financial feud with Winkler, Stallone also stated that he disapproved of the creative direction taken by Creed III.

“It’s a regrettable situation because I know what could have happened,” he said. “It’s taken a completely different direction than I’ve taken. It’s a different philosophy from Irving Winkler and Michael B. Jordan. I wish them all the best, but I’m more of a sentimentalist. I like My heroes get beat up, but I just don’t want them to go into that dark space. “I just feel like there’s enough darkness in people. “