'Creed 2' Movie News: Up-and-Coming Director Named
Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan officially tagged up-and-coming director Steven Caple Jr. to helm "Creed 2," making the film his first feature in a major studio.
This comes after a conversation between the stars and the executives addressing Stallone's initial plan to pull triple duty to direct the sequel and also produce and star in it.
Fans will remember that back in October, the "Rocky" actor made the announcement on Instagram that he will be working behind the camera for "Creed 2" as well, but there has since been a change of plans.
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This leads to Stallone giving the "Creed 2" directing gig to Caple, who he and Jordan personally picked, as per Variety. The latter took to Twitter to express his excitement about this new development.
MGM motion picture group president Jonathan Glickman shared Jordan's enthusiasm in Caple's involvement in "Creed 2" in an official statement:
We could not be more fortunate and excited for the collaboration of Steven, Sly, Michael and the producers, to build upon the success of "Creed." The combination of Steven's talent and unique vision makes him the perfect.
Caple, on the other hand, said in a statement that he is honored to be part of "such an iconic franchise and to work with such great collaborators."
Mike, Sly, and Tessa are extraordinarily talented and bring something special to today's culture. I look forward to joining the family and continuing the precedent set by this franchise's alumni of incredible filmmakers.
According to Variety, one of the major things that sold Stallone and company to Caple is his work in the 2016 coming-of-age movie "The Land," which follows the story of four teenage boys on a quest to make their summer a life-changing one by pursuing their dream to become professional skateboarders.
Caple also recently wrote a Will Smith and Jay Z-produced HBO miniseries about Emmett Till, the African American teenager who was brutally murdered in 1955 for allegedly asking a white woman on a date.
The screenplay for "Creed 2," on the other hand, was written by Stallone and "Luke Cage" showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker and it will be based on characters from the "Rocky" franchise.
Ryan Coogler, who directed the first film, will reportedly serve as executive producer for "Creed 2" this time although nothing is set in stone yet since he is still working on wrapping up "Black Panther."
Filming for the sequel will begin in March next year at Philadephia with Tessa Thompson among the original cast members to reprise her role.
Not much is known about the plot although Stallone teased that the story will be devoted to the Ivan Drago character who killed Creed's father Apollo in "Rocky IV."
"Creed 2" opens Nov. 21, 2018.
