‘Creed III’ producer Ryan Coogler on seeing Michael B. Jordan blossom as a filmmaker

Director Ryan Coogler shared what it was like to see his friend  Michael B. Jordan make his directorial debut on the highly anticipated Creed III.

Coogler and Jordan’s friendship dates as far back as 2013, when they worked on the film Fruitvale Station, a biographical feature about the life and tragic passing of Oscar Grant. Since then, the pair have collaborated on numerous projects, many of which Coogler directed, including the Black Panther and Creed franchises. 

During a recent press conference for Creed III, Coogler expressed that he experienced “a different type of joy” seeing Jordan direct the project and exceed at it despite it being the 36-year-old’s first time. He said,

“You know, and what was best about working with him when we first started has shifted now. I mean, now, not it’s the fact that I know him, you know, really, really well. So I think it’s a added color that comes with that. So when you know somebody and you see him doing something new and excel at it, it gives you a different type of joy.”

Later, Coogler shares the timeline of Jordan’s transition to becoming a filmmaker by recalling the first moments he met the star. The Judas and the Black Messiah director explained, 

“Like, when I first met him, I knew he could act, you know what I’m saying? So it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, man, Mike did a great job acting.’ Like, it’s not a surprise, you know? But now in seeing him, oh, committee do a sports film? You know. Can he do a action movie? You know what I mean? Can he direct? You know, like and seeing the growth and the shifts and seeing him knock it out of the park in each thing, not without struggles. You know what I’m saying? Not without going to the mat and having to get back up. And so, like to see this happen and it be affirmed, that suspicion I have about this creative, you know, 10 years later, it’s like, aw, yeah, he had it in him. And that’s fantastic.”

Creed III is already receiving a mostly positive reception from critics, although the motion picture has yet to be released in theaters. As previously reported by We Got This Covered, the reasons stemmed from how the film captures “vulnerability and drama both inside and outside of the ring.”

In Creed III, Jordan’s character Adonis Creed’s childhood friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), pops back up in the boxer’s life after he is released from prison. This joyful reunion doesn’t last long after Anderson attempts to fight Creed to get an opportunity to advance his career.  The film also stars Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Mila Davis-Kent, Jose Benavidez, Selenis Leyva, Florian Munteanu, and Tony Bellew. 

Creed III will make its theatrical debut on March 3.