Michael B. Jordan has explained how working with Denzel Washington influenced his directorial duties for Creed III. Following the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise, 2006’s Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone had fully committed to retiring the Italian Stallion. However, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s idea for a spinoff centering on Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), inspired Stallone to appear as Adonis' trainer in the 2015 drama Creed. The performance earned Stallone his second Oscar nod after the original Rocky.
Overall, Creed became a critical and commercial success, paving the way for a sequel, Creed II, in 2018. The follow-up brought back the iconic Russian who killed Apollo in Rocky IV, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), as the coach of his son Viktor in a legacy bout against Adonis. This time around, Steven Caple Jr. inherited Coogler’s directorial duties as the latter ventured into the MCU to helm the Black Panther franchise. Regardless, Creed II was another hit, one in which Stallone appears to truly retire his character from yet another franchise. Earlier this year, it was announced that Jordan will make his directorial debut with the next installment, Creed III.
Jordan recently spoke to EW about being directed by Washington in the upcoming drama A Journal for Jordan. The actor explained how the "incredible experience" influenced his approach to Creed III, saying he asked Washington "a s***ton" of questions and closely observed the way he worked on set. Jordan went on to praise the Hollywood star's work, likening his directing to having "a master class at everything." Read Jordan’s comments below:
“[He helped] prepared me for Creed III. I think just asking him a s***ton of questions, and observing how he runs a set, how he communicates with department heads and just the process of what to look for and what to expect on a day-to-day grind. So, it was definitely the right project for me to do right before [Creed III], for sure … Being directed by Denzel, it's like you had a master class at everything. He shows up every day to work to give it his all. He leaves with nothing in the tank, so you've got to match that energy and that drive. So, it definitely pushed me to do more. That was an incredible experience. Character development, breaking down characters, just getting to the micro of everything, being as specific as possible. It raised my game in a lot of ways, so I'm extremely grateful for that process.”
Washington is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time, and his acclaimed directorial work (including films like Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters, and Fences), cements his position as an incredibly talented filmmaker, too. Given Jordan will be directing and starring in Creed III, it’s serendipitous that he got to work with Washington right before sitting in the director’s chair for the first time. From his mentoring of Jordan, to the late Chadwick Boseman’s recollection of how Washington (and Creed III’s Phylicia Rashad) helped underprivileged actors attend the British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer program, Washington has consistently proven his willingness to support the industry's next generation.
As for Creed III, it is expected to be a huge step in a different direction for the franchise. As the first installment in the Rocky universe without Stallone, the threequel will presumably focus much more on its identity as an independent narrative, and less on nostalgia. Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country, Loki) is reportedly in talks to play Adonis’ next opponent, whoever that may be. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how Washington’s influence makes its way into Jordan's directorial debut.
Source: EW
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3FXhF4E
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment