Creed III drops tomorrow, and while it may be the third film in the series and the ninth in the Rocky franchise, it will also be the first to see Michael B. Jordan involved both in front of and behind the camera, with the talent behind protagonist Adonis “Donnie” Creed also taking up directorial duties for the first time.
According to the reviews and the outpouring of praise from Jordan’s more seasoned contemporary Ryan Coogler, we think a lot of folks will be hoping that this won’t be the actor’s last time stepping into the director’s chair come tomorrow. With a passion project as quintessential to his filmography as Creed III, the actor-director is certainly set to show his stuff in a big way.
Backing that drive was a network of talented allies that Jordan picked the brains of prior to taking on the project. In an interview with ScreenRant, he named actor-directors Bradley Cooper and Jon Favreau, the latter of whom famously pulled such double duty for MCU films Iron Man and Iron Man 2, as two important sources of advice on his latest endeavor.
“Preparation. To be prepared; storyboard. Talking to Bradley Cooper, Jon Favreau, and the actor-directors was really important to me. [I wanted] to really speak to them and get their perspective on that anxiety of directing while you’re in a scene. Sometimes, you are watching a bit of things, and not fully worried about acting. But then there’s moments where you’re fully locked into acting, and not watching as much.”
He also touched on what some of that advice looked like, including how to balance the mindsets of the two roles responsibly.
“Finding that balance between when you do and when you don’t, and how to give the crew and the cast what they need so they can do what they need to do as well, is a balance. They took that anxiety off me; that weight off me of, “Okay, cool, this is what’s gonna happen.” It’s like, “Okay. I can stop thinking about that, because that’s what’s gonna happen.” And then you just find your own rhythm that just flows from there.”
We have no doubt that Jordan struck that balance masterfully, and we’re sure that that will be all but confirmed upon that sweet first viewing of the film.
Creed III will release to theaters tomorrow on March 3.