“Hollywood Donnie” is ready to rumble once again, and his next fight is set to bring the “Rocky” franchise full circle with the return of the man who killed his father, Ivan Drago! With the “Rocky” series continuing to bear fruit from the seeds it planted with 1985’s “Rocky IV”, the anticipation for “Creed II” is certainly at fever pitch, to say the least. Fortunately, as the world awaits the film’s release next month in November, fans can satisfy their excitement with the latest trailer for “Creed II”, which you can see below!
“Creed II” sees our hero Adonis, aka “Hollywood Donnie” coming face to face with the man who took his father’s life in “Rocky IV”; the emotionless Russian giant, Ivan Drago, with Dolph Lundgren reprising the iconic role. The film will also see a kind of generational retelling of that film’s central conflict, with Donnie stepping into the ring to face off against Drago’s equally ruthless son, Viktor, played by Florian Munteanu.
The film’s official synopsis also gives you a glimpse into what “Creed II” has in store:
“Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what is worth fighting for, and discover that nothing is more important than family.”
In this era of 80’s nostalgia, exemplified in everything from Netflix’s “Stranger Things” to last year’s remake of Stephen King’s “It”, 2015’s “Creed” pulled off a balancing act of tickling the audience’s nostalgia bone without becoming needlessly tethered to what came before, with Michael B. Jordan carrying the film on capable shoulders with a determined confidence similar to what Sylvester Stallone himself portrayed.
Judging from the new trailer (and the previous one) “Creed II” seems to be raising the stakes to the utmost, with the central conflict interweaving two generations of characters in a manner that hasn’t been done in recent memory. As a sequel to both “Rocky IV” and its immediate predecessor, “Creed II” pulsates with an aura of grandeur and scale that hasn’t really been seen in the series since, well, “Rocky IV”. How many sequels can boast of carrying three years of build-up alongside thirty-three years of further build-up simultaneously?
And need we even go into just how first-rate the boxing fights of the last “Creed” were? If that’s the case, one has to assume that you haven’t seen the original’s amazing single-take shot of Donnie’s first pro-fight. Fear not, KFK has you covered, see it below!
“Creed II” is set to hit theaters on November 21st. Excited to see some big fists about to fly? What are your favourite boxing movie bouts of all time, including those of course, from the “Rocky” franchise? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram. (If you want to throw hands real quick, box clever and check out our knockout Top 10 Greatest Rocky movie fights, along with our in-depth, exclusive interview with Creed’s fight choreographer Clayton Barber!)
