Sylvester Stallone, 74, Announces He Will Not Appear As Rocky In 'Creed III' Scheduled For 2022

Sylvester Stallone confirmed to "The Hollywood Reporter" that he will not be seen in the third installment of the boxing movie directed by Michael B. Jordan.

The rumors that the iconic Rocky Balboa actor Sylvester Stallone will not be taking on his role in "Creed III" have been confirmed by Stallone's representative, but no further details about his decision were released.

Rocky fans were buzzing after Stallone replied to a comment on Instagram saying that he will not be seen in the newest "Creed" movie, and the news has now been made official.

NO MORE ROCKY

74-year-old Stallone and the boxing legend Rocky are synonymous, but apparently, director Michael B. Jordan will be headed in a different direction for his upcoming boxing film.

The actor's performance in the first of the boxing movies "Creed" allowed him to reel in an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor, and Stallone also featured in "Creed II."

ROCKY IV

Although the 74-year-old is skipping the third installment of "Creed," he still has some exciting projects in the works. The actor shared that "Rocky IV" is complete saying:

“I’m feeling great about this."

Stallone was both actor and director for the film. The project was in need of some work before Stallone was satisfied with the end product; hence he returned to share his input and expertise to get it to the standard that he expected.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN

"Creed III" is still going on stronger than ever despite being a Rocky Balboa lighter. Jordan is ecstatic to be making his directorial debut in the movie. The 34-year-old will also be producing as he shared:

"Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I've grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally."

Jordan also revealed that the narrative of the third boxing film is very personal to him; hence he sees it as his responsibility to carry over the story in the intended manner, something which he is very excited about.

BUILDING THE LEGACY

Stepping away from Jordan's story and continuing to build on his own Rocky legacy makes sense for Stallone. He has already produced six "Rocky" films which have resulted in an income that has totaled more than $1 billion.

Although the producers loved the story that Stallone pitched them, they wanted a different lead and didn't want him to be the face of the narrative but rather have him stick to screenwriting.

After persevering and sticking to his vision, Stallone has been the greatest underdog for the last thirty years and is still continuing on with the boxing legends story that is so greatly loved.

Stallone didn't make it in Hollywood with his clear speech and great looks as he had to overcome a speech impediment that he was born with. Stallone and Rocky share a story of overcoming adversity to succeed.