Creed III’s Tessa Thompson weighed in on the lack of Sly Stallone in the new film.
It’s the end of an era with the new Belief movie that leaves Rocky Balboa out of the story. In the previous Belief movies, Sylvester Stallone returned as Rocky and now serves as a mentor to Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed. In the new movie Creed IIIHowever, Stallone’s Rocky is nowhere to be seen, marking the first film in the franchise to not feature the character.
A franchise star who joined Jordan in the sequel was Tessa Thompsonwho returned as Bianca after her appearances in the first two Belief movies. Talking about the movie with THRThompson voiced Stallone’s absence Creed III, considering how much chatter this is getting lately. She admits she almost forgot that Stallone isn’t in the movie because his thumbprints are still everywhere Creed III that his presence was always felt no matter what. Thompson showed gratitude to Stallone for opening the door for the franchise to live on, even in his absence, with the Belief spin off series. As Thompson said in the interview:
“This may sound like a line, but I honestly think he’s such a part of the DNA of this that he was always there for me. It actually took me a minute to say, ‘Oh sh*t, [he’s not here.]There’s something about returning to these movies and all the history we have with them, and Sly is so caught up in that. And in some ways, his absence makes him an even bigger figure in my mind, in terms of the franchise. He built something so strong and so durable that we could revive it and borrow from the universe and create something of our own. And in the success of this film, we can also say that it is sustainable, and that has so much to do with Sly.”
Thompson agrees that it was only natural for Rocky to move forward with the franchise, but he wants to make sure Stallone still gets credit for starting the franchise and continuing it so well for so long.
“It’s a passing of the baton, but for the one who’s still holding it, it’s warm because of the hands that were on it before.”
Have we seen the last of Rocky Balboa?
Today, Stallone can be seen starring in the popular Paramount+ series Tulsa king, but fans shouldn’t necessarily count on him playing Rocky again one day. In November, the actor said the studio was interested in a new one rocky film in which Stallone reprises the role. While open to that idea, the process has stalled and Stallone wants more ownership of the enduring character he helped create.
“They wanted another one rockyStallone told THR. And I was willing to do it. But I said, ‘After 45 years, can we change the playing field a little bit? Flatten? Can’t I get a piece of what I made all those years ago?’”
Creed III now playing in cinemas.