Black Panther and Creed star Michael B Jordan will make his directorial debut in Creed III, the anticipated third instalment in the Rocky spin-off series.
The Creed films tell the story of Adonis Creed, the son of heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, from the original Sylvester Stallone films.
"At 35 years old, I had a lot to say as a young man, as a young black man," Jordan told a press briefing, ahead of the film's trailer release.
"Just my life experiences and how I could actually share that, share a piece of myself with the world through these characters and through this story."
The first Creed film was released in 2015, as a spin off to the Rocky Balboa boxing movies, which began with the original Rocky in 1976.
Instead of focusing on Stallone's character, Rocky, the Creed series focuses on Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky's rival who becomes a boxer with Rocky's help.
For Michael B Jordan, it was vital to have accurate and meaningful representation of a black family in this latest iteration.
The series marks a cultural shift in creating more stories with intersectionality, including how issues such as mental health, family structures and physical impairments affect people of colour.
"I think it's very important for this franchise to continue to put those themes on the forefront and normalise them in a way," Jordan said.
He said it was also important for him to get the film shown to historically black college and university communities.
Jordan said black excellence needed to be celebrated and he hoped the film could make a difference in the lives of people in the community.
"That we can actually do something about it, you know, so you can actually think on it, and dwell, and — hopefully — be a difference-maker in people when they make decisions, when they're thinking about things like this."
Normalising ASL
Tessa Thompson (Thor, Passing) returns to play Bianca, Creed's partner, and Jonathan Majors (Marvel's Loki) joins as someone from Adonis's past who becomes his adversary.
Little is known about Major's character, although he's seen as the antagonist of the film.
Mila Davis-Kent, who is deaf, stars as Creed and Bianca's daughter.
The evolution of Bianca and her daughter was also important for Jordan as a filmmaker — he wanted to explore how their characters develop, given both are hearing impaired.
"How do they grow? How do they deal with that obstacle and turn it into a superpower?" Jordan pondered.
"It was a community of people [who] didn't really get true representation as much as they should. And we use this as an opportunity to do that.
"So, casting Mila Davis-Kent was amazing.
"She's deaf, and us learning ASL and normalising it was a really big deal for us … We're not trying to highlight it in a way … there's no sympathy there. We're just normalising it."
Jordan said they hired interpreters and resources, to ensure accuracy.
Creed III will be released March 3, 2023, and is the ninth film in the Rocky franchise.
It will be the first one without star Sylvester Stallone, although he still serves as a producer.
Plot details for the film are scant, but the trailer hints at someone from Creed's past returning into his life and becoming his adversary in the boxing ring.
