“Creed II” is set to reunite former adversaries in the latest “Rocky” Film spin-off, as Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren reprise their roles to support the next generation of boxing talent. After mercilessly battling in the ring themselves in the previous action-packed movie “Rocky IV”, this time around America’s favourite Rocky Balboa and Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago will be rooting for the offspring of the main protagonists in the original film.
Call it revenge or just a way of wiping the slate clean, many of the necessary ingredients to satisfy action and sport-loving fans look to be in place.
Set to be released on 30th November in the UK, “Creed II” is the eighth edition in the Rocky film series. Under the direction of the up and coming Steven Caple Jr., Stallone has joined forces with Juel Taylor on writing duties for the project and believes that 30-year-old Caple Jr. is a filmmaker for the current generation.
Adonis seeks to avenge his father’s death
Following on from “Creed” – for which Stallone was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar - the sequel sees a return for Michael B. Jordan in the title role as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the son of the late boxing champion Apollo (played by Carl Weathers in the earlier films). Rocky fans will be all too aware of the circumstances behind his father’s tragic demise in the ring at the hands of Drago in an exhibition fight in Las Vegas.
Under the diligent tuition of Rocky as his trainer, “Creed II” provides the perfect opportunity for Adonis to avenge his death by defeating Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), an aspiring boxer and Ivan’s son.
Cameos by boxing legends
Boxing aficionados will also appreciate the mixture of fiction with reality, as there are also cameo appearances as themselves in the movie by some of the legends of the boxing profession, with Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield and Sugar Ray Leonard all among the credits.
The return of Brigitte Nielsen ensures continuity from the previous films as Viktor’s mother and Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ girlfriend and the mother of his young child.
Stallone and Lundgren on the same side
Since that initial confrontation in the Rocky franchise, Stallone and Lundgren have subsequently joined forces on screen in "The Expendables” films, starring alongside a showcase of the action-film genres most marketable and well-known faces.
Many movie fans will fondly recollect Drago’s threat before the beginning to their epic on screen contest when he told a determined Balboa “I must break you!”
Indeed, Lundgren almost did just that during shooting for “Rocky IV”, when a period of intense sparring with Stallone resulted in the amiable celebrity spending eight days in intensive care in Santa Monica. Stallone no doubt views such danger as a natural consequence to maintain the requisite authenticity in his work and his daily workouts to get into and maintain his impressive physique are legendary.
