With Creed III gearing up for its theatrical release this weekend, it’s now full speed ahead for the illustrious sports drama franchise. Director Michael B. Jordan and company have come a long way since the world saw a brand new spin on the Rocky canon back in 2015, and with Jordan’s directorial debut getting that sweet preemptive thumbs-up from critics, the only way is up.
But for Keenan Coogler, one of the film’s co-scribes alongside Zach Baylin (King Richard), there was a time when Creed was nothing more than a practical joke that his older brother Ryan (Black Panther series of films, Creed, Fruitvale Station) was playing on him; or so he thought.
During a Creed III press conference attended by We Got This Covered, Coogler explained what it was like watching his brother indulge in his creative process when he was writing the original Creed film, believing the whole thing to be a prank given how outlandish the nuances, such as taking a phone call with Sylvester Stallone, seemed.
I used to make fun of him, ’cause I thought he was making the whole thing up. ‘Cause we shared a room at the time at my parents’ house, and he was working on the script literally from the idea in his head, and he would talk about it, and then he would go out and have these telephone conversations with Sylvester Stallone. And he would talk on the phone. And I thought he was making the entire thing up. Because, like, no f****** way, excuse my language, but no way, no way would Stallone even answer that phone call, right?
But then, of course, Creed became public knowledge, perhaps shattering everything that the younger Coogler once thought to be true.
And now with Creed III, he’s part of the process, having collaborated with Baylin on the screenplay while the older Coogler sibling also got involved with the duo when it came to developing the story.
One thing is for sure; if Ryan Coogler ever feels the need to pull an actual prank on his brother, he can now point to Keenan’s doubts over the original Creed script to make him hesitate on his suspicions; no man should have that sort of power, but perhaps Ryan has earned it.
Creed III arrives in cinemas on March 3.