As a franchise in need of a fresh start, the
Rocky saga needed a boost to keep its legacy in tact. Thankfully,
Creed hit an unexpected home run, with Stallone going as far as getting an Oscar stolen by Mark Rylance. Director Ryan Coogler seems to be getting back into the awards fold this year as well, with Disney pushing
Black Panther heavily for Best Picture. So with critical acclaim backing the franchise's new direction why did Lundgren almost turn down the sequel?
With both
Creed II and
Aquaman hitting this fall, Dolph Lundgren will be making welcome rearrival to blockbuster filmmaking. But with modern filmmakings trend of reprising old roles, fans will always have high expectations.
It was a bit strange. It’s a bit weird. At first I didn’t want to do it because I thought it would be kind of sad. I didn’t want to hurt that image because it's like an iconic character that people, especially people who work out, really look up to this guy. But the script was really good and I get a chance to show another side of the same man 35 years later, and more of a damaged, struggling side. I used some of my own life that I’ve been through the last 35 years in this character so it's kind of full circle. So it turned out to be a really great experience for me. A real dramatic challenge but also a great experience to look back at my own career the way he looks back at his career as a fighter. There are some parallels that I think are kind of unique.
It is welsome to hear that the strong script, written by Stallone and
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, convinced the actor. This may also speak to the quality of the product as a whole. But with Ryan Coogler no longer in the director's chair, Steven Caple Jr. will have big shoes to fill.
Creed II enters the ring on November 21st.
About The Author:
I'm that one guy you get annoyed with because he talks about movies too much, but I'm also the one guy you love to talk movies with.
Follow Dragonsfoe on:
