In 2015, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan revitalized the Rocky franchise with the heartfelt, gritty, and astonishing boxing drama Creed — and they brought original franchise star Sylvester Stallone with them, earning him an Oscar nomination in the process. But then, Coogler went on to make a little movie called Black Panther, leaving Steven Caple Jr. to direct the more meat-and-potatoes sequel, Creed II (written in part by Stallone). We haven’t heard any creative developments on a Creed 3 until now. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Creed 3 has attached a screenwriter, bringing it one step closer to the screen.
MGM has tapped Zach Baylin to write the script, whose screenplay King Richard appeared on the 2018 Black List, and is currently in production. That film is about Richard Williams, the tough-as-nails tennis coach and father of tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams. It stars Will Smith in the title role and Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as the younger versions of Venus and Serena, respectively. It’s directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) and distributed by Warner Bros., the studio of which is also distributing Creed 3.
Image via MGM/Warner Bros.
Based on the premise of King Richard, it sounds like Baylin is the perfect choice for a new Creed picture. I thought the first one (written by Coogler and Aaron Covington) was successful because of its willingness to interrogate and complicate the knotty masculinity at the center of its subjects — and if Baylin can apply the magnifying glass he’s applying to Richard Williams to Creed, Rocky, and more, I think he can write quite the take on the franchise. Creed 3 doesn’t have a director yet (nor a shooting schedule, given how busy its stars are), but here’s hoping that Baylin’s pedigree gets someone good.
For more on the Creed franchise, check out our review of the second film. Plus: Did you know Jordan was inspired by anime?
