Stallone to Direct “Creed” Sequel

The “Rocky” franchise is part of the fabric of Philadelphia. We sure do love us that scrappy boxer, as evidenced by that one statue with which everyone takes selfies and the steps of the Art Museum, which have been colloquially renamed “the Rocky steps,” and which are daily mounted by at least one ambitious soul blaring “Eye of the Tiger” on his or her phone. Rocky is as Philly as cheesesteaks, pretzels, and aggressive sports fans. In 2015, the movie franchise was resurrected with “Creed,” a sequel that focused on the talented son of Rocky’s former rival, Apollo Creed. Now, Sylvester Stallone, the face of Rocky himself and the director of several “Rocky” sequels, has announced that he will helm the “Creed” sequel.

Sly Stallone has come a long way since he donned Rocky Balboa’s boxing gloves. Now he will direct the sequel to “Creed.”

Stallone announced on Instagram that he planned on producing and directing “Creed 2,” starring the breakout actor from the first “Creed,” Michael B. Jordan. Reactions on the internet to Stallone’s intimate involvement with the production of the new movie were mixed. While he turned out some incredible scenes in Rocky II, III, IV and Rocky Balboa, other parts of the films were so try-hard that they made a majority of watchers cringe. Sly Stallone’s last go as a director was 2010’s “The Expendables,” which the Philly Voice described (with hilarious shade) as “a wild shoot-em-up that sits comfortably in Sly’s modern (and not particularly good) wheelhouse.”

What do we know about the new movie? It will be set in Philadelphia (of course), and we can expect to see some shooting around town during production. Stallone wrote the script for the new installment, and it will reportedly feature an old nemesis of Rocky’s: Ivan Drago. This Soviet pugilist was a major foe for Rocky back in the day, but will his character stand the test of time? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.