The Creed Trilogy Is Leaving Netflix

Rocky V missed the mark completely. Sylvester Stallone had built a legendary run across four hit movies about boxer Rocky Balboa, but the 1990 fifth entry alienated audiences. The storyline centered on Rocky training an unlikable protégé while acting out of character. For years, the franchise stood as a classic original, three beloved sequels, and one widely derided finale.

The reception bothered Stallone. Rocky was his defining creation. Back in the 1970s, Stallone wrote the screenplay and refused to sell it until the studio agreed to cast him in the lead role. The film captured the Best Picture Oscar, turned him into a star, and launched a pop culture phenomenon. Refusing to leave the character on a sour note, Stallone wrote, directed, and starred in 2006’s Rocky Balboa. The film gave the aging fighter one last bout in the ring and delivered a fitting farewell.

Audiences assumed the saga was finished, especially the idea of Rocky acting as a trainer. That changed when the franchise evolved into the Creed series. All three films in the trilogy leave Netflix on August 31, giving viewers limited time to stream them before they depart.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, 2015’s Creed introduced Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan. Adonis is the estranged son of Apollo Creed, portrayed by Carl Weathers across the first four Rocky films. Apollo beat Rocky in the first movie, lost the rematch in Rocky II, and became Rocky’s close friend and trainer in Rocky III. After Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren, killed Apollo in the ring during Rocky IV, Rocky fought to avenge his fallen friend. Adonis eventually seeks out Rocky in Philadelphia, and the former champion agrees to train him out of respect for Apollo.

The saga continues

Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the 2018 sequel Creed II brings the past back into focus. Adonis agrees to fight Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago. The matchup serves as a direct continuation of both Creed and Rocky IV, with Rocky once again stepping into the corner to prepare Adonis for a deeply personal bout.

Jordan took over behind the camera for his directorial debut in Creed III. The 2023 film introduces Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors. Dame was Adonis’s childhood best friend and boxing mentor before serving a long prison sentence for a crime Adonis committed. Upon his release, Dame demands a shot at the heavyweight title Adonis now holds.

Stallone did not appear in Creed III because of disagreements over the story’s darker tone and an ongoing feud with producer Irwin Winkler. Despite Rocky’s absence, the film earned strong reviews and performed well at the box office. A fourth Creed movie remains in development, leaving room for Stallone to potentially return. In the meantime, viewers have until the end of August to catch the full trilogy on Netflix.

Source: Polygon