Michael B. Jordan Is Down But Not Out in “Creed II” Trailer and Poster

By Kip Mooney • On • In Poster, Trailer Poster, Trailer 0

Creed was a major gamble in 2015. Continuing the Rocky franchise, of which the most recent film was the tepidly received Rocky Balboa, and before that the disastrous Rocky V. Gambling a valuable but challenging franchise on young talent like Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson was a huge risk.

Of course it paid off, delivering the biggest opening weekend in franchise history, and the first Oscar nomination (for both Sylvester Stallone and the franchise) since the Best Picture-winning original film. In retrospect, betting on this trio, who all went on to stardom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seems like a sure bet. To mix my sports metaphors, it seems as obvious as drafting Steph Curry.

So now the sequel also takes a huge risk. Without Coogler, but still with Jordan, Thompson and Stallone, there's a chance to ruin the goodwill of the previous film, as other sequels have done. But this trailer seems to put all that to rest, as the film seems to channel Rocky III, putting Adonis at his lowest, with a chance to redeem himself in the final fight. And like all good teaser trailers, it teases just enough, flashing the robe of Adonis' final opponent: the son of the man who killed his father.

The film is directed by Steven Caple, Jr. Like Ryan Coogler, he's only made one feature before this film: 2016's coming-of-age drama The Land. Check out the poster below.

Creek II Poster Release

Creed II opens Wednesday, November 21.

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.

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