Michael B Jordan has been confirmed to direct Creed IV – the next instalment in the hit Rocky-spin off.
The Creed franchise picks up after the end of the Rocky movies. Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed – Rocky’s first opponent and friend. The films follow his ascent in the boxing world and how that impacts on those around him.
Creed III arrived earlier this year and Jordan both starred in and directed that film. In a four-star review, NME said: “Creed III isn’t quite a knockout, but only a fool would come away questioning whether this seasoned slugger of a franchise has more rounds left in it. Bring on Creed IV.”
Creed III producer Irwin Winkler has now confirmed Jordan would direct the next instalment of the franchise when speaking on Saturday (November 18) at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles event. He confirmed that Creed IV is in the works – something Jordan himself had already hinted at – with the actor also set to resume directorial duties again.
“We are planning to do Creed IV right now,” Winkler said onstage during a panel for Creed III.
“We have a really good story [and] a really good plot. We got a little delayed because of the strikes, but about a year from now we’re going into pre-production.”
When asked if Jordan would be back to direct, Winkler said: “He will be…He did such a great job — he was comfortable with the camera.”
You can watch the moment here:
Irwin Winkler confirms Michael B. Jordan will direct ‘Creed 4’ #DeadlineContenders pic.twitter.com/nF4siAFslu
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) November 18, 2023
Earlier this year, Jordan shared his top five anime recommendations.
During a press run to promote Creed III, Jordan revealed in an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Ali Plumb on where he’d recommend new fans should begin watching anime. Jordan named give anime series, all of which have been critically acclaimed, and some also being notorious for its seemingly never-ending run.
When pressed on which anime he would recommend, Jordan replied: “One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter X Hunter” before adding “that’s a pretty good starting five”.
Prior to Jordan’s conversation with BBC Radio 1, the actor-director had also revealed that several of the fight scenes in Creed III were heavily influenced by anime, with Dragon Ball Z inspiring a key moment of the titular character’s showdown with Jonathan Majors’ Damian Anderson.
