The filming of Creed, the spinoff to the widely popular Rocky franchise, recently commenced and the first location for the highly anticipated film is Philadelphia, according to Coming Soon.
The synopsis provided for this upcoming film states that the story will revolve around a man named Adonis Creed, who is identified as the son of Apollo Creed, who seeks out the expertise of Rocky Balboa. The older Creed, portrayed by Carl Weathers, was a part of the first four installments of the Rocky series.
In the earlier films, he was described as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. His involvement in the four Rocky films earned him multiple nicknames, which include The King of Sting, The Dancing Destroyer, The Prince of Punch, and The Count of Monte Fisto.
However, his most prominent moniker was The Master of Disaster. He met his demise during a boxing match with Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren, in Rocky IV.
Drago was characterized as a quiet but menacing fighter, who virtually has no humanity left inside him. This description was proven during his fight with Apollo, whom he eventually killed in the ring. In the said match, which took place in the fourth installment of Rocky, Drago could be seen relentlessly attacking the helpless Apollo even after the bell signaled the end of the match.
Consequently, the attacks made by the Russian boxer to the then 42-year-old Apollo, who passively accepted blows to the head, led to the latter's death. Despite the death of his opponent, Drago appeared unperturbed and only commented, "If he dies, he dies."
This pushed Rocky to seek out revenge against the callous Drago. He then went to Russia to publicly challenge the other boxer in an effort to avenge his friend's death. Although the crowd initially cheered for Drago and booed Rocky, the latter's apparent skill turned the tides to his favor and earned the admiration of the Russian public.
He eventually defeated the unfeeling boxer, but suffered brain damage due to the fight.
The untimely death of the older Creed could be pointed out as one of the reasons on the reluctance of Rocky, widely known to be played by renowned action star Sylvester Stallone, to provide his services to Adonis.
In the film, it is revealed that the younger Creed, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, aspires to follow the footsteps of his father. However, this dream was met with resistance when he attempted to seek guidance from Stallone's character.
Creed, which is directed by Ryan Coogler, will hit the big screens on November 25, 2015.
