Emmy Raver-Lampman and Jemma Redgrave are among the returning cast for ‘The Beekeeper 2’.
Star Jason Statham will also be back as the skilled operative.
‘Nobody 2’s Timo Tjahjanto is in the director’s chair.
While 2024’s Jason Statham-led action thriller ‘The Beekeeper’ saw a somewhat mixed reaction from critics, there’s no denying audience embraced the star’s latest chunk of clash-happy chaos, to the tune of $162 million worldwide.
There is a change behind the camera, however, as ‘Nobody 2’ director Timo Tjahjanto will take over calling the shots for David Ayer, who handled the original.
The 2024 original, scripted by Kurt Wimmer, saw Statham as Adam Clay, a former operative of a clandestine organization called “Beekeepers”.
After his friend and neighbor (Phylicia Rashad) dies by suicide after falling for a phishing scam, Clay sets out to exact revenge against the company responsible.
Raver-Lampman played Verona Parker, an FBI agent hot on Adam’s trail while Naderi was Parker’s partner, Agent Matt Wiley.
Redgrave appeared as Jessica Danforth, the President of the United States, entangled in the deadly scheme. She was also the mother to Josh Hutcherson’s Derek Danforth, the main antagonist of the first film. Irons, meanwhile, was Wallace Westwyld, a former CIA director serving as the head of security for Danforth Enterprises.
Wimmer has returned to write the script for the new movie, but the story is being kept in the hive for now. Mostly we’re guessing it’ll be a fresh excuse for Statham to kick a lot of butt.
And ‘Grown-ish’s Yara Shahidi will also be part of the cast for the new movie in an unknown role.
When will ‘The Beekeeper 2’ be on screens?
With Miramax producing and financing and Amazon MGM Studios once more aboard to distribute worldwide, the new movie is now in production.
We don’t have an official release date just yet, but we could see this one targeting an early-mid 2026 slot.
There’s more than meets the eye in the word ‘The Beekeeper.’
In the Jason Statham-led action thriller, it isn’t just about someone who tends to the bees but about a powerful and clandestine organization known as the “Beekeepers.” When Adam Clay’s client and friend fall for a phishing scam that leads to her suicide, the former operative sets out to bring her death to justice.
The movie premiered on January 10, 2024, in London at Leicester Square, released in the United States on January 12, 2024. ‘Beekeeper’s theatrical release included showings in IMAX and Dolby Cinema for audiences to get a more immersive experience. The David Ayer action thriller has grossed over $63 million domestically and over $149.6 million worldwide.
‘Beekeeper’ has a runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes. If you missed the movie in theaters, don’t worry. As of January 30, 2024, it is available to rent or purchase on VOD platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu. Prices range from $19.99 for rental or $24.99 for purchase.
Since the film was released under MGM, it will likely end up streaming for free on Prime Video subscribers. However, no official streaming date has been announced by the studio or Prime Video. If you’re a Sky Cinema subscriber, the movie will be available to watch at no additional cost on March 8.
Director David Ayer leans into the mythology behind bees – the idea of taking care of and protecting the hive and turning it into how a powerful secret organization would operate. The director also found Statham to be the perfect actor to express that mythology. With that, Ayer used the opportunity to try something different from his usual dark drama style
“When I read this script, it was this fascinating look into the world of the beekeepers. It was the right amount of, just enough to know what’s going on, and not so much that you don’t lose the magic and mystery of it. In that script, I saw an amazing role for Jason, he came attached to it, but also, I saw an opportunity for me to do something a little bit different. It’s really a classic action, escapist, thrill ride. Normally I do a lot of dark drama, and so to have the opportunity to make a fun movie that I know an audience is going to love was something I couldn’t say no to.”
We’ve seen Statham in plenty of action movies, everything from the ‘Transporter’ franchise to ‘Fast & Furious.’ Aside from delivering on the action front, Statham is the kind of actor who can make any dialogue work – even ones that feel a bit over-the-top or ridiculous.
In ‘Beekeeper’, you’ll see plenty of Jason Statham putting his martial arts skills to use as he sets out to take down the Danforth corporation. Ayer worked with stunt coordinator Jeremy Marinas on the film and mentions that Statham does his own stunts, “you present him a scene, he’s the guy that’s going to do everything, and he has a loud vote, he has a voice.”
“So, we had this great stunt coordinator and choreographer, Jeremy Marinas, who comes from the 87eleven school, and his understanding of human kinetics and how people just move was educational for me. Then with Jason, I mean, he’s an action icon, he’s a legend. He does his own stunts, so it’s interesting because you present him a scene, he’s the guy that’s going to do everything, and he has a loud vote, he has a voice. He’s probably forgotten more about action than I’ve ever known. So, it was really challenging, I always bring my A game to set and Jason taught me that there’s an A+ game when it comes to action.”
Watch the official trailers for ‘Beekeeper’ below:
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The official synopsis for ‘Beekeeper’ is below:
In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers”.
Opening in theaters on January 12th, ‘The Beekeeper’ is the latest tough guy outing for Jason Statham, playing another variant on his former-intelligence-operative-called-back-into-action character that appears to make up half of his cinematic resume.
But does this new film, directed by David Ayer (‘Suicide Squad’, ‘Fury’) make for a worthwhile addition to that canon? The answer might depend on whether you have a tolerance for the most basic version of this movie.
‘The Beekeeper’ exists in one of those movie worlds where former intelligence operatives are all over the place and there is a massive conspiracy to be sorted out. And one where Statham grimaces his way through the emotional moments and lets loose during the set pieces. For the most part, though, ‘The Beekeeper’ is found wanting.
This stretches credibility so many times, your enjoyment level is likely to sink quickly as the movie uses the same tired action beats and flies towards an extremely predictable outcome. With this type of outing, you need a truly outstanding layer over the basic concept to make it work, and again, on that front ‘The Beekeeper’ lacks any real sting.
The script for this one comes from Kurt Wimmer, whose name is likely to give plenty of people pause. While there is plenty of love for some of his previous work –– ‘Equilibrium’, for example, even if it pushes far into ridiculous places as it goes along –– he’s been responsible for some truly dreadful scripts in the past, including ‘Ultraviolet’ and the remakes of ‘Point Break’ and ‘Total Recall’.
If you’re no fan of Wimmer’s work, ‘The Beekeeper’ is unlikely to move the needle into a positive zone since it features some utterly dumb dialogue and situations. Lines such as “if there was a back entrance, I’d have used it” are likely to make you laugh more than engage with the action.
And don’t get us started on the multiple, honestly exhausting uses of bee terminology. Every single character, it seems, says some version of “protect the hive” or “queen bee” and if you were to start a drinking game for each time someone says a bee-related word, you’d fall out of your chair completely out of your gourd by roughly 30 minutes in. Which might be the best way to experience this movie.
As for Ayer, who has proved he knows how to make action movies in the past (there are plenty of people who still want to see his version of ‘Suicide Squad’ after the studio reportedly edited its own version), but here he’s strictly on autopilot.
The set pieces are perfectly adequate, but how many times can you watch Jason Statham act like a human bulldozer, ploughing through baddies who stand in his way. We don’t know if it’s in his contract that he must always look like a total badass, but here none of the people who stand in his way prove to be much of a threat until one near the end. It’s like watching someone play a video game on the easiest mode, which just becomes numbing after a while.
We mentioned above about Statham’s character, and the actor plays him just like every other role of this sort. You could interchange him with the Transporter, ‘The Expendables’ Lee Christmas or Chev Chelios from ‘Crank’ (and even both ‘Crank’ movies had some gonzo action to make up for him). Here, he goes through the motions with all the charisma of a garden gnome, clearly uncomfortable in quieter character moments such as those with co-star Phylicia Rashad at the start. When it comes to the action, he’s always been competent, but just offers up his usual martial arts style, kicking and punching his way through swathes of villains and henchmen.
Even when we’re asked to believe that Statham; Adam Clay is an inventive badass, that only goes so far. Sure, the script gives him one or two cool moments, but they’re still few and far between. And don’t get us started on his standard accent, which is mostly British but does venture towards the States occasionally. The movie does at least nod to that, with the revelation that Clay was born there, but it makes it no less ridiculous.
Beyond Statham, there is a gaggle of British actors slapping on slightly fake American accents to play the baddies, including such respected thespians as Jeremy Irons and Jemma Redgrave who are clearly in it for a mortgage payment more than a satisfying acting gig. And pity poor Minnie Driver, who pops up for one scene that could have been given to anyone to play. Was she in the movie more before the editing stage? It’s a mystery.
Josh Hutcherson tries to make a stock spoiled rich guy role work, but he rarely makes an impact, while it’s left to Emmy Raver-Lampman, who understood assignment, to bring some life to her dedicated FBI character, who at least has a hint of character motivation.
‘The Beekeeper’: Final Thoughts
‘The Beekeeper’ is likely to be viewed in the “so bad it’s good” category, something to throw on if you and your friends want to have fun mocking it. But it falls short of the “it’s good part” too often to really be one we can recommend.
This is less a bee-movie, more a D-movie.
‘The Beekeeper’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘The Beekeeper’?
Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a former operative of a clandestine organization called “Beekeepers”. After his friend and neighbor (Phylicia Rashad) dies by suicide after falling for a phishing scam, Clay sets out to exact revenge against the company responsible.
(L to R) Josh Hutcherson and director David Ayer talk ‘The Beekeeper.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Hutcherson and director David Ayer about their work on ‘The Beekeeper,’ their first reaction to the screenplay, exploring the mythology of the Beekeepers, Ayer’s approach to the action sequences, Hutcherson’s wild character, and working with Jeremy Irons and Jason Statham.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interviews.
Moviefone: To begin with, David, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the opportunity to explore the mythology of the Beekeepers?
David Ayer: I mean, you nailed it right there. When I read this script, it was this fascinating look into the world of the beekeepers. It was the right amount of, just enough to know what’s going on, and not so much that you don’t lose the magic and mystery of it. In that script, I saw an amazing role for Jason, he came attached to it, but also, I saw an opportunity for me to do something a little bit different. It’s really a classic action, escapist, thrill ride. Normally I do a lot of dark drama, and so to have the opportunity to make a fun movie that I know an audience is going to love was something I couldn’t say no to.
MF: The allegory of the movie seems to be that the Danforth Corporation has kicked the hornet’s nest, and Adam Clay (Statham) is the bee that is going to sting them. Do you agree with that?
DA: That’s it. There’s a lot of cool allegories and this very interesting mythology behind bees, and this idea of taking care of the hive, taking care of society, protecting the hive and protecting society. Jason was the perfect person to express that mythology because he is so iconic, and he does feel so larger than life that it really helps elevate this movie into something I think none of us were expecting. It’s hard to make a movie, and it’s hard to make a good movie, and you never know how these things are going to come together. I trusted the script and I trusted Jason and I trusted myself, because again, it’s like a new language for me, like a real true genre picture that’s fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. To find those new muscles as a director was a fantastic exercise for me.
MF: Josh, what was your first reaction to reading about your character in the script? Why did you want to play him and what was your approach?
Josh Hutcherson: When I first read this script and read a bit about Derek, I was surprised that I was the person that they were calling. It’s a departure for me. He’s a scumbag. He’s a very powerful, rich crypto bro who is out of his mind on drugs and alcohol and just spiraling. I jumped at the bit to play it. I think that it was something for me that was a big departure and really taking a swing at something different. It was so much fun to do. As far as the approach goes, I mean, David and I just had a lot of conversations about who is Derek at his core, what does he really want, what’s his life been like with his mom, with his dad and his money? We landed on this idea that he’s wildly insecure and trying to prove to his family that he is powerful, and that he is valuable. Because he’s never had to deal with any consequences his entire life, and had no accountability for anything, it creates a monster. As the film progresses and the walls start closing in on him, he becomes more and more unhinged and out of control.
MF: Can you talk about the illegal business that your character oversees and how it affects his family?
JH: He has this little side business that he’s set up that basically is a call center, multiple call centers, that go and scam, especially elderly people out of their savings and bank accounts. It’s a nasty business. It’s gross. I think that in my mind, how I justified him starting this business is that it’s twofold. One is that he’s doing it out of a sense of rebellion because he must live a certain kind of life and keep things clean because of his family situation. Then the other part is I think that he, and this happens a lot, I think, when people have so much money, they dehumanize people, and you don’t view them as actual human beings. So, I think those two factors allowed him to create this thing that turns into an absolute monster.
MF: David, can you talk about the unusual partnership that Derek and Wallace have together and working with Josh and Jeremy Irons?
DA: Josh is a real actor and just, I have to say it, Derek is not Josh, he’s playing a role, that’s not who he is in real life. He’s a very nice guy. To take this wild, crazy character with the green jackets and the snakeskin and the crazy hair and then pair him with Wallace Westwyld as envisioned by Jeremy Irons, it’s a great alchemy. It’s a great relationship they have, and it helps make the bad guy world a lot more fun.
MF: Wallace seems reluctant to help Derek with his Beekeeper problem. Was the character written that way originally, or is that something Jeremy Irons brought to the role?
DA: It’s something we worked on with Jeremy and it was also in the script too, this idea of, what happens when you get compromised, what happens when you say yes to the wrong thing, and then do you have to keep saying yes? If you do, what does that mean? You can feel that he knows what is happening isn’t right, but you can also feel how trapped he is by the circumstances.
MF: Josh, how would you describe Derek’s relationship with Wallace?
JH: Jeremy Irons plays Wallace Westwyld, and he’s kind of like Derek’s right-hand man sort of. He does Derek’s bidding, protects him in ways too. He’s a former CIA director, and now he’s kind of been placed here to watch after me, but I treat him like absolute garbage. I’m a total douchebag to him. It’s a fun dynamic, especially, I mean, having Jeremy Irons be this guy that I’m treating like trash. It was a lot of fun. It’s a very good dynamic. David gave me a lot of space to play and improv and kind of throw a bunch of stuff at him, so we had a good time.
MF: Most of your scenes in the film are with Jeremy Irons, what was he like to have him as a scene partner?
JH: He’s amazing. I mean, he’s just got such a weight to him, and his voice and his presence is just intense. But he’s the nicest guy, very funny, and very relaxed. But when they say action, he turns it on, and he clicks it into gear.
MF: Josh, what was your experience like being on a David Ayer set and working with him as a director?
JH: David runs an amazing set. He’s extremely collaborative. He works very fast, and he really marries the worlds of action and choreography and stunt work and big set pieces with more intimate, personal, grounded character stuff. He does that incredibly. For me, having the confidence with myself to play this character that’s so different for me, I needed to just give myself over to it and trust David and let my instincts kind of take me to where they may. It worked out. I loved working with David. He’s fantastic.
MF: David, can you talk about crafting the action sequences and working with Jason Statham?
DA: So, we had this great stunt coordinator and choreographer, Jeremy Marinas, who comes from the 87eleven school, and his understanding of human kinetics and how people just move was educational for me. Then with Jason, I mean, he’s an action icon, he’s a legend. He does his own stunts, so it’s interesting because you present him a scene, he’s the guy that’s going to do everything, and he has a loud vote, he has a voice. He’s probably forgotten more about action than I’ve ever known. So, it was really challenging, I always bring my A game to set and Jason taught me that there’s an A+ game when it comes to action.
MF: Finally, Josh, you don’t have many scenes in the movie with Jason Statham. Did it feel at times like you were making two separate movies?
JH: The truth is, I think I only have one scene with Jason in the entire movie. But just watching him, because there were many days where I was around and they were shooting other things, just watching him work, the guy he doesn’t miss. He’s so on top of it and consistent, professional and the choreography that he keeps in his head, and the fact that he’s able to do that, and have his lines and nail his mark every time. He’s a fine, fine, fine-tuned machine.
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What is the plot of ‘The Beekeeper’?
Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a former operative of a clandestine organization called “Beekeepers”. After his friend and neighbor (Phylicia Rashad) dies by suicide after falling for a phishing scam, Clay sets out to exact revenge against the company responsible.
Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed faces off against Jonathan Majors’ Damian Anderson in ‘Creed III’. This movie also serves as Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut who has been starring in the sports franchise since 2015.
Following the events of 2018’s ‘Creed II’, Adonis “Donnie” Creed is considering retirement as the undisputed Heavy Weight Champion of the World when his childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian “Dame” Anderson comes back into his life, throwing everything into disarray. The film puts the two former friends at odds and Donnie will have to fight in the most emotional match yet.
“After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damien Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damien – a fighter who has nothing to lose.”
‘Creed III’ opened to $58.3 million domestially, $22 million more than ‘Creed II’. It is certified Tomatoe-meter fresh with a 89% score from critics and 96% from audience. The third installment has grossed $272 million worldwide since it’s release.
Helming a popular franchise such as ‘Creed’ is no easy task, yet Michael B. Jordan took on the challenge of being both the lead of the film and stepping behind the camera to direct. The star’s impressive resume and dedication shows as the film balances its action, heart, and humor extremely well.
Jordan kept the tone from the the previous ‘Creed’ films such as the action and redemption arc while adding his own flavor like utilizing slow-motion in the ring. This helped emphasis each punch and by using it sparingly, it didn’t make it feel like a gimmick. Jordan’s love of anime can also be seen in his directorial style. The actor has spoken about his love for animes such as ‘Naruto’, ‘Dragonball Z’, and ‘One Piece’, and using it as a visual reference for some of the fight scenes.
Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau light the actors in such a unique and abstract way for the final match, using colors like red and green to emphasis what they’re feeling as they made their walk toward the ring. Morgenthau worked with Crafty Apes, the VFX team, to map out the final moments and by using a motion-control camera, the fight was immersive and distinctive.
With a stellar box office and reception, a “Creed-verse” may not be too far off. According to Deadline, Jordan has met with Amazon to explore other ‘Creed’ related projects. No details are confirmed but there are talks of spin-off projects such as an anime series, live-action TV series, and even a story centered on Donnie’s daughter Amara, played by deaf actress Mila Davis-Kent. A spin-off movie based on Rocky’s nemesis Ivan Drago and his son Viktor Drago has also been announced. The possibility is endless when it comes to the Creed/Rocky universe, which is quite exciting for fans of the franchise.
Where Is Rocky?
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed II.’
One thing that was mising from ‘Creed III’ was Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa. Although Rocky has constantly been in Donnie’s corner in each movie, this is the first film in the ‘Creed’ saga to not feature the character. They do mention his name once during the film but Rocky’s whereabouts was not clear, so what happened?
Although Stallone created the characters in the original ‘Rocky’, he sold the rights to producer Irwin Winkler and MGM in order to have the first film made, therefore he has no real say in the future of the franchise. Stallone did not agree with the direction Winkler wanted to take with the franchise, and felt it was too dark.
We don’t know whether Stallone will return to the franchise, but his absence was definitely noticeable as someone who had been a mentor for Donnie since the first ‘Creed’ film.
The film premiered in Mexico City on February 9, 2023 and released theatrically in the United States on March 3, 2023. It is the third film in the ‘Creed’ franchise and the 19th film in the ‘Rocky’ saga. ‘Creed III’ has a total runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes. You can still experience the boxing action-drama in theaters. Be sure to check below for showtimes in your area.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Creed III’ below:
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Prefer to watch experience the movie from your home? You’re in luck. ‘Creed III’ is now available to rent or purchase digitally on the Amazon streaming service, Prime Video as of April 1, 2023.
‘Creed III‘ will open in theaters on March 3rd and is the third film in the ‘Creed’ series, the ninth movie set in the ‘Rocky’ universe, and the first film directed by actor Michael B. Jordan.
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What is ‘Creed III’ about?
‘Creed III’ follows the events of 2018’s ‘Creed II,‘ and features Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) ready to retire from professional boxing as the undisputed Heavy Weight Champion of the World. But when Donnie’s childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long prison sentence, he asks Donnie for help returning to the ring and winning the championship. But once Anderson is champion, he turns on Donnie personally and publicly, forcing Creed back into the ring to fight his former friend, facing an opponent he’s never fought before – a fighter who has nothing to lose!
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actor and director Michael B. Jordan and actor Jonathan Majors about their work on ‘Creed III,’ what viewers need to know to prepare for this film, the deep relationship between Donnie and Dame, and Jordan’s work behind the camera.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Jordan, Majors, and actress Tessa Thompson.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would each of you say to viewers sitting down to watch this movie to prepare them for the film experience they are about to have?
Michael B. Jordan: I mean, just have an open mind and an open heart, and buckle up because it’s a ride. Once we get started, I’ll see you in two hours and I’ll check in on you on how you feel.
Jonathan Majors: There’s no way to prepare yourself for ‘Creed III.’ You got to come in with your dukes up. Doesn’t matter, it’s a knockout. Bob and weave, come with an open heart, and come with an open mind. These are familiar characters being looked at in a very different way. You’re going to see Adonis Creed in a very unique way that’s going to give you even more insight to the hero, primarily because of the introduction of Damian Anderson, his long lost friend. You’re in for a wild fight. Flex them up!
Michael B. Jordan directs and stars as Adonis Creed in ‘Creed III.’
MF: Michael, can you talk about your vision for this film, particularly the fight sequences, and as a director, what it was like working with your cast and crew to execute that?
MBJ: I mean, as far as the boxing sequences for me, it’s probably the part of the story that I’ve daydreamed and thought about the most over the past eight years. When you’re involved in a process and you think about boxing and fights, there’s certain things that you’re curious about wanting to try, and obviously they don’t make it to every movie. So I’ve been kind of compiling a list of things that I’ve always wanted to kind of try, and then also trying to make this one feel fresh and different.
So leaning on my love of Japanese anime and the spirit of that, and how I can make things feel different, and pitching that to my cast and my crew. Getting everybody on the same visual reference point of what kind of film we’re making, and what type of creative swings that we would be taking and just going out and just doing it. It’s like you got to go for it. So I think my love of anime definitely helped me creatively and artistically take some creative swings.
Jonathan Majors stars as Damian Anderson in ‘Creed III.’
MF: Jonathan, what was it like working with Michael, both as a scene partner and as a director?
JM: It was incredible. It was an experience as an actor, I’ve not had, and I don’t see it coming down the pipeline again. Where you have an actor that’s going to lead his own franchise as an actor and then also direct it. That’s just not something that people are driven to do. I mean, that seems quite difficult. It is difficult. I watched him deal with that difficulty with grace, elegance, confidence and conviction.
Because of that, we have the picture we have, and he gave a hell of a performance. So I got to witness it and it was a team effort, the building of Dame and the making of this film. But he was a leader throughout and he really orchestrated every day, even in the chaos, he was there and present, boots on the ground, gloves on to help us craft a story. So I can’t imagine, I don’t think anybody else could have directed the film, even if Mike was in it, and have the same outcome. I think this outcome is quite beneficial to cinema and to audiences.
MF: Finally, one of the taglines of the film is, “How do you fight a fighter with nothing to lose?” But I think it really should be, “How do you fight a fighter who knows you better than you know yourself?” Can you talk about the personal history between Dame and Donnie, and why that makes Anderson such a dangerous opponent for Creed?
MBJ: Well, I feel like the people that know you the most could hurt you the worst. So I think it’s one of those things where I really wanted to go back to Adonis’s childhood and make this an origin story of sorts, and a sequel and a trilogy all in one. And it’s also a origin story for Dame as well.
So I think to be able to go back there and go through that childhood trauma, and really understand Adonis’s first relationship, his first friendship, his first heartbreak, his first betrayal, just when he first get inspired, who taught him how to fight, who protected him, and all those things that make up the man that he is today, that we know him as. Then we pick up in present day and we have a little bit more context of who he is.
But then also you have to address your past in order to really move forward and become the best version of yourself. So we wanted to see Adonis struggle with that, and struggle to talk about his past, and struggle to talk about how he feels about certain things, and see what that does to the people that are around him, his loved ones. How does that affect them? How does that affect him? Then to see him pull it out and actually rise to the mountaintop, I thought was truly inspiring.
JM: Yeah, it’s a familiar trope, isn’t it? But it’s probably the most real and the most dangerous. When you fight someone that knows you better than you know yourself, the only way to win is to grow and to engender something new in yourself. That’s very interesting.
Dame is literally the fellow who taught Adonis how to fight, and how to throw those punches. Yes, he is from the Creed stock, he is the son of a champion, but that champion was not there to teach him how to use the tools that he was given, endowed with by birth. Dame is the one who teaches him how to exercise his birth right. So there’s a social and an emotional debt that someone has to overcome.
So it transcends this idea of, “Oh, I know you physically. I know you socially and emotionally.” So I mean, that’s why we have our picture. Dame represents that in such a strong way that it really is a David vs. Goliath story on multiple levels. Adonis has to overcome that. And in the overcoming of it, he grows.
‘Creed III’ is produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Outlier Society Productions, Proximity Media, and Balboa Productions, and is scheduled for release on March 3rd.
Opening in theaters on March 3rd is the third film in the ‘Creed’ series and the ninth movie set in the ‘Rocky’ universe entitled ‘Creed III,’ which also marks the directorial debut of Adonis “Donnie” Creed actor Michael B. Jordan.
What is ‘Creed III’ about?
Following the events of 2018’s ‘Creed II,’ Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is about to retire as the undisputed Heavy Weight Champion of the World. But when Creed’s childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he asks Donnie for help getting back into boxing, as he is determined to win the championship. Eventually, Donnie is forced back into the ring to fight his former friend, facing an opponent he’s never fought before – a fighter who has nothing to lose!
In his third outing as Adonis Creed, Michael B. Jordan gives another strong and dedicated performance but it is his work behind the camera that is truly impressive, while Jonathan Majors steals every scene he is in with his menacing and electrifying performance as Damian Anderson.
Michael B. Jordan is one of the best actors of his generation and has demonstrated this in moving independent features like ‘Fruitvale Station,’ and strong blockbusters like ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Creed.’ Returning for his third time as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, and first time without Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa (more on that later), Jordan gives a mature performance proving that the character has grown since the last we saw him.
This is an older Donnie, a successful professional athlete on the verge of retirement looking forward to spending more time with his aging mother, musician wife, and deaf daughter. But Donnie is haunted by his childhood living in an orphanage, before his father’s widow adopted him, and the dark secrets he has been hiding for most of his life. Once Damian returns, it stirs up these old feelings in Donnie, which Dame brilliantly uses to his advantage.
It seems as if Jordan is channeling some of himself into the role, as the megastar actor can relate to being financially successful, and the problems that comes with that level of success. But as Donnie, he also wants to protect his family and their future from the sins of his past. Donnie is not a lost boy anymore, as he was depicted in the first ‘Creed,’ he is now a man and a champion, and that comes shining through Jordan’s performance.
Jordan also has an extremely impressive directorial debut with ‘Creed III.’ Jordan balances the film’s tones of fighting for survival and redemption quite well, and even injects some humor into the film. Jordan clearly has learned a lot about filmmaking from his years on sets and from watching his mentor and collaborator director Ryan Coogler on ‘Fruitvale Station,’ ‘Creed’ and ‘Black Panther.’
While Jordan handles the emotions and drama of ‘Creed III’ very well, he also makes the fight scenes interesting, moving the camera around the ring with the fighters and using slow-motion sparingly but effectively. However, there is one choice Jordan made as a director that I completely disagree with and it actually took me out of the movie for a second. It’s a scene that comes towards the end of the film’s final fight sequence, so I will be careful not to give too much away. But Jordan makes a directorial choice to inject the fight with visual metaphors that hurt the reality of the fight scene itself, and for me, took the viewer completely out of the moment. I get what Jordan was going for, but I just don’t think it worked.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone as Robert “Rocky” Balboa and Michael B. Jordan as Adonis “Donnie” Creed in director Ryan Coogler’s ‘Creed.’
‘Creed III’ marks the first film in the trilogy to not also feature Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa character. The trilogy is clearly a spinoff of the ‘Rocky’ franchise, and while the character is mentioned once or twice in passing, Balboa’s whereabouts and why he is no longer in Donnie’s corner are never revealed.
Jordan and the other filmmakers do a good job of creating a ‘Rocky’ movie without Rocky, and while it is still in the vein of the previous films in the franchise, they go out of their way to make it different from the other movies in the series. The “Theme from Rocky” or “Gonna Fly Now,” as it is better known, is barely used, if at all, and has been modified so you can barely hear it in the background.
There is also a moment where you can tell the filmmakers wanted to step away from what you would expect from a ‘Rocky’ movie. In the inevitable training montage, Donnie runs to the top of a hill overlooking the Los Angeles skyline. This would seem to be the perfect moment to have the theme start playing and for Donnie to pump his fists in the air, recreating the iconic moment on the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs from the original ‘Rocky,’ which has been duplicated in almost every ‘Rocky’ movie since. But Jordan avoids that moment, like so many other typical ‘Rocky’ moments that the film ignores, which really places the movie into its own chapter of the ‘Rocky’ story.
But honestly, the real reason Rocky does not appear in ‘Creed III’ is more complicated. While Sylvester Stallone did create the characters in the ‘Rocky’ franchise and the original screenplay, he sold the rights to producer Irwin Winkler and MGM decades ago to get the first movie made, and thus has no real say in the future of the franchise. Apparently, Stallone did not agree with the direction Winkler, Jordan and ‘Creed’ director Ryan Coogler, who is given story credit on this movie, wanted to take the future of the franchise. Whether Stallone will ever play Balboa again on the big screen is yet to be known, but the actor does not appear in ‘Creed III’ and the character is barely mentioned.
I understand the circumstance, and think it was probably best to continue the Creed story without Rocky, however, I would have liked a little more explanation as to why the character doesn’t appear, and why he is no longer in Donnie’s corner. In fact, Rocky is only really mentioned in passing as “that guy your dad fought,” and the other ‘Creed’ movies certainly established a close if not father/son relationship between Rocky and Donnie. So, it is weird that there is no character update in ‘Creed III’ regarding Rocky or why he is no longer Donnie’s trainer, and it seems that a simple line of dialogue or two could have fixed that issue.
To be accurate, Adonis begins the film with a rematch against his opponent from ‘Creed II,’ Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). But it is his old friend Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) that is Donnie’s main opponent in ‘Creed III,’ both in the ring and out. Anderson is Donnie’s oldest friend, who has just been released from prison, something Donnie blames himself for.
At first, Damian asks Donnie for help training, as he is determined to win the championship, despite his age and lack of experience as a professional boxer. Donnie agrees, but bumps heads with Damian, who clearly has a chip on his shoulder. Donnie eventually helps Damian become champ, but it’s not enough for Dame, and he goes after Donnie and his family personally and publicly in order to convince Donnie to get back into the ring so he can show the world he is the better fighter and have payback for what happened between them in the past.
After fantastic performances in last year’s ‘Devotion’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ which hit theaters last week, ‘Creed III’ is poised to cement Jonathan Majors reputation as one of the finest actors working today. Majors gives an absolutely stunning and menacing performance as Damian Anderson, and at times, even out shines Jordan himself. Majors plays Damian as a brooding and calculating character, one who knows just how to push his old friend’s buttons perfectly to get the desired reaction. Damian is a real threat to Donnie, in the ring and out, but their former friendship is what keeps the dynamic fresh and interesting.
Majors is also in top physical shape for this movie, lending to his threat to Donnie, making the idea of Creed winning their fight impossible, which adds to the film’s suspense. In the world of ‘Rocky’ movies, I would put Damian Anderson right up there with Mr. T’s Clubber Lang from ‘Rocky III,’ and of course Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) from ‘Rocky IV,’ as the strongest opponents in this franchise.
Besides Majors and Jordan, the strongest performance in the movie comes from Tessa Thompson as Donnie’s wife Bianca Taylor, and the actress has really made this character her own. Even from the first ‘Creed,’ Thompson has taken the role and elevated her from the “sideline support” that Adrian (Talia Shire) gave Rocky in the original. Bianca has always had her own storyline, whether it is concentrating on her music career, or dealing with her progressive degenerative hearing disorder.
In the new film, she is a mother of a deaf child, the wife of a boxing champ, and also a successful music producer. Thompson plays the role of supporting wife well, but is at her best in scenes dealing with her family, the secrets that Donnie has been keeping from her, or her reluctance to except Damian as a friend. Thompson elevates the role, and over three films, has created a fully formed character that you can really relate to.
Phylicia Rashad also returns as Donnie’s adopted mother Mary Anne Creed, the widow of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The actress is given a little more to do this time around, as Donnie’s childhood plays into the main story with Damian. Wood Harris also reprises his role from the other ‘Creed’ movies as Tony “Little Duke” Evers Jr., who is Donnie’s trainer and the son of Apollo Creed’s trainer. Harris is fine in the role, but again, it is strange to look in Donnie’s corner and not see Rocky!
Final Thoughts
In the end, while ‘Creed III’ does exist in the ‘Rocky’ universe, it is completely its own film. This is Adonis “Donnie” Creed’s story, and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Star Michael B. Jordan gives another strong performance as the character and also gives an impressive directorial debut, while Jonathan Majors continues to dazzle in another remarkable and transformative performance.
‘Creed III’ is produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Outlier Society Productions, Proximity Media, and Balboa Productions, and is scheduled for release on March 3rd.
It’s unclear if Rashad will pop up in any additional episodes, but the TV legend’s presence is exciting no matter how prolonged. And in a delightful coincidence, her casting is just the latest example of “This Is Us” dipping into the Beloved TV Moms well to fill out its guest ensemble.
Rashad — who famously portrayed Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” — follows appearances by Katey Sagal (“Married… With Children,” “Eight Simple Rules”) in season one, Debra Jo Rupp (“That ’70s Show”) in season two, and Jane Kaczmarek (“Malcolm in the Middle”) earlier this season. (Our fingers are still crossed for “Family Matters” star Jo Marie Payton.)
“This Is Us” returns from its midseason hiatus on January 15.
Ava DuVernay (L) and Phylicia Rashad onstage during the Women In Film 2015 Crystal + Lucy Awards
Hollywood has a diversity problem — and it’s not getting any better.
According to a new study by University of Southern California Annenberg’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, nonwhite characters have been featured less than 30 percent since 2007 – a contrast to the U.S. minority population of 37 percent.
Taking a look at gender and race portrayed on the big screen and the players behind the scenes, the study examined the top 100 highest-grossing films from 2007 through 2014 (excluding 2011), and LGBT representation in 2014.
Here are the findings.
1. Only 30.2% of characters in film were female.
2. Only three women of color, out of 21 females, held leading roles in 2014.
3. No women of color over the age of 45 top-lined a movie in 2014.
4. Since 2007 through 2014, 12.5% of characters were black, 5.3% were Asian and 4.9% were Latino.
5. Asian actors had no speaking parts in more than 40 of 2014’s top 100 grossing movies.
6. Black actors had no speaking parts in 17 of 2014’s top 100 grossing movies.
7. LGBT characters were featured in 0.4% of 2014’s top 100 movies, despite reflecting 3.5% of the American population.
8. No transgender characters were featured in 2014’s biggest films.
9. Women and minorities are underrepresented as filmmakers. Of the 779 directors of the 700 most popular films since 2007, 28 were women, 45 were black and 19 were Asian.
10. In 2014, only two women and four African Americans helmed the top 700 films.
11. Movies written by women included nearly 10% more female characters and 7.8% more middle-aged characters.
12. Black directors featured 40% more black actors compared with 10.6% without.
