Fruitvale Station has garnered tremendous respect for director Ryan Coogler and its star Michael B. Jordan, enough to land them another gig with one of the longest- running movie franchises in U.S. history: “Rocky”
According to Deadline, which broke the story, MGM is developing a new chapter in the Rocky franchise, focusing on the grandson of Rocky’s one-time rival, Apollo Creed, who was played by Carl Weathers in the first three films.
Fruitvale Station’s Coogler is set to direct the film, titled Creed, with the acclaimed Fruitvale star Jordan being strongly considered for the starring role.
Actor Sylvester Stallone will once again don the hoodie and return as Rocky Balboa, who has finally retired, but agrees to train the young and privileged Creed as he enters the world of professional boxing against his family’s wishes.
Before you start shaking your head and asking “Why another Rocky movie?” note that the idea came from Coogler himself.
According to the Deadline article, when the young director signed with his agency, he said the movie was his dream project. The studio loved the idea and connected him with Stallone, who also loved it and convinced several other people involved in the original films to jump onboard.
Coogler and Jordan are two of the industry’s biggest rising stars after making a big splash this summer with Fruitvale Station, a drama about Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer on New Year’s Day in 2009.
If they bring their partnership over to the Rocky franchise, which also won a few awards of its own back in the day, maybe something magical could happen. What do you think?
