Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan proved to be a dynamic duo once again when they teamed up for Creed after Fruitvale Station. But when Coogler didn't sign up to write and direct the sequel, Jordan admitted he was leery about the project.
"In the beginning, I was a little hesitant," he told The Breakfast Club around 19:15. "Honestly. It was something that we started and we created but he [Coogler] came on board and he's producing it as well. So, he still has his fingerprints on it. He's still involved but in the beginning, you know, yeah it was a little hesitation there."
But Jordan soon found confidence when he learned who will be picking up the director's mantle: Steven Caple Jr.
'He's from Cleveland, went to USC, did this film called The Land, you know, made a lot of noise at Sundance," explained Jordan. "He's an incredible filmmaker and we're really lucky to have him because he's putting his fingerprints on it too so we're in good shape."
However, as Jordan notes, sequels can be "really tough" especially when it's loosely based on an iconic series like Rocky.
"Two to anything is really hard to make and to really bring the nostalgic back and tie in with Rocky and still give Creed his own legacy and branch off down...you know give Creed his own lane," said Jordan. "There's a natural balance there between making a second one a little bit bigger than the first one. We didn't have a true bad guy. There wasn't a real antagonist in the first film. It was really about the origin story of Adonis. So this one we're gonna try to make a little more spicy."
As for the future, it seems Jordan can't wait to get his Raging Bull on as well. He told The Breakfast Club's Angela Yee that he "can't wait" for a role where he has to put on 60 pounds. In the meantime, he has a stack of projects on his plate including Creed 2, Fahrenheit 451, a comic book adaptation series for Netflix, Raising Dion, and Wrong Answer, which will team him back up with Coogler with Ta-Nehisi Coates set to write the film.
Creed 2 is slated to arrive in theaters on November 21.
