Creed III: Is Moving on Without Stalone the Right Move?

When it comes to the Rocky franchise, it just wouldn’t feel the same without Sylvester Stallone right? When talking about the next sequel in the Creed franchise, Michael B. Jordan confirmed that Stallone wouldn’t be back for the next film.

No matter if you like the decision or not, it’s the right move. When it comes to passing the torch, the predecessor usually gets out of the way. At this point in the overall story arc, what more do they need Rocky Balboa? Is a 70+-year-old fighter going to get back in the ring with a kid in his prime? There’s no more in the story they need him for.

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They don’t even need the star power of Stallone. With Michael B. Jordan being a rising star when Creed first came out it was only a matter of time before he was a household name. He was in a lot of great roles but he wasn’t at his peak until everyone knew his name coming off the success of Black Panther alongside Chadwick Boseman in the MCU.

So from a box-office standpoint, it’s better to let this franchise stand on its own. If they keep Stallone around it takes away from Creed as a whole. It’s never good for a character to be overshadowed in his own story. The only character to see more sequels these days are the guys from the Fast & Furious franchise. Adonis Creed is a strong enough story that its time to put the Rocky character on the shelf.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing the franchise move away from the feature film and move over the streaming side of a show. It’s tough to watch the same plot point over and over again. At least switching to television would allow them to pivot from every main plot point being a build-up to the big match. Look at the success The karate kid has had by pivoting from an 80s movie franchise to streaming success. Right now, focusing on Creed and moving away from Rocky is the right move, but there’s so much more they could be doing.