Rocky legend Sylvester Stallone has teased the “different direction” being taken up upcoming spinoff sequel, Creed 3. Stallone was in attendance at the UK launch of streaming service Paramount Plus, with Metro asking the actor about what audiences can expect when Creed returns to the big screen without Rocky Balboa is his corner.

“It takes it in a different direction. I wish them well and keep punching!”

While Stallone will not feature in the movie itself, meaning of course that Rocky will be entirely absent from Creed 3, the Hollywood icon is still on board as a producer. Stallone does not go into detail over what this “different direction” will be, but did call it “really interesting.” Simply leaving Rocky himself out of a Rocky spinoff is already a major change for the ongoing franchise.

Regarding Rocky Balboa being left out of Creed 3, Stallone revealed that it was his decision not to feature on screen saying, “Well it’s different because actually I bowed out of that one, I just didn’t know if there was any part for me." Stallone will still serve as a producer on the project, and allow for the Creed series to take off on its own without the legacy of Rocky hanging over it as it has done in both the first Creed and its subsequent sequel.

Related: Sylvester Stallone Names the Most Memorable Moment of His Career

Creed 3 Will Center on Michael B. Jordan Versus Jonathan Majors

Creed-3
Warner Bros. Pictures

Creed 3 will reunite audiences to Michael B. Jordan as Adonis, the son of Rocky’s opponent-turned-friend Apollo Creed who first appeared in 2015’s Creed. Much like his father before him, Adonis dreams of being a boxing champion and is taken under the wing of an aged Rocky Balboa, with the movie featuring all the drama, montages and beautifully brutal punch-ups that fans could want. Creed was met with critical acclaim, reigniting the Rocky franchise for a modern audience and leading to a sequel, Creed 2, in 2018, which saw Adonis take on the son of Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago.

Creed 3 will center on the bout between Adonis Creed and Lovecraft Country and Loki star Jonathan Majors as Anderson Dame. Not much is yet known regarding specific plot details, but we can expect to see the pair come to blows over the course of the movie, as Adonis attempts to once again juggle his passion for fighting with his family life.

Michael B. Jordan will both star in and direct Creed 3, with the actor making his directorial debut on the boxing sequel. Creed 3 also stars Tessa Thompson as Bianca Taylor, Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne Creed, Wood Harris as Tony "Little Duke" Evers, Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago, and Jonathan Majors as Anderson Dame alongside Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II and Mila Davis-Kent who have been cast in undisclosed roles.

Could Creed 3 attempt to distance itself from the Rocky saga in some way? Perhaps by forgoing some of the expected elements and traditional formula that has influenced the sports movie genre ever since? Audiences will see this different direction for themselves when Creed 3 hits theaters on November 23, 2022.