Michael B. Jordan, who makes his directorial debut with Creed 3, reveals the secrets he learned about Rocky and Creed's training montages.
Michael B. Jordan reveals the secrets to Rocky and Creed's training montages. The Rocky franchise began back in 1976 with the film of the same name, which starred Sylvester Stallone as the titular hard-nosed club fighter from Philadelphia who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the world heavyweight championship title held by Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The original Rocky film, which won Best Picture, was followed by five sequels, most of them directed by Stallone. They were met with varying degrees of critical acclaim.
After lying dormant for almost a decade after 2006’s Rocky Balboa, director Ryan Coogler came along and revived the franchise with Creed, a sequel that shifted the focus to Jordan's Adonis, the son of Apollo Creed, with Rocky returning in a mentor role. Jordan and Stallone both returned for Creed 2, which saw Steven Caple Jr. take over as director. Stallone's Rocky won't return for Creed 3, as he has now passed the torch to Jordan; he is following in Stallone's footsteps by directing Creed 3 in addition to starring.
During a recent interview with Collider for the release of the Creed 3 trailer, Jordan discusses his directorial debut. The Creed 3 helmer and star shares what he learned about the art of the training montage now that he has directed some. Read what he shares below:
Get any and everything you can – every push up and every speed bag moment. No. With the montage, it’s about, what are the stakes? Has your character left the montage better than he was, when he first started? I think that’s a good one to stick to.
The Rocky franchise is one that's known for its iconic training montages. The first film features the franchise's quintessential training montage as Rocky runs through the streets and climbs the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, all set to the iconic "Gonna Fly Now" theme song. The sequels featured some solid montages too, from Apollo training Rocky in Rocky 3 to the old-man montage from Rocky Balboa. Creed absolutely followed in Rocky's footsteps and delivered the training montages. The first film recreates the magic of the original Rocky while Creed 2 sees Adonis training in the desert.