'Rocky' Universe Updates: 'Creed III' Is Delayed & a 'Drago' Spinoff is Coming

While Creed III has been pushed for a March 2023 release date, MGM Studios is planning boxing spinoff Drago.

Fans of the Rocky universe will have to wait until 2023 for Creed III. The film, which will be directed by star Michael B. Jordan, will now have a March 2023 release date after originally being set for November 23, 2022. With a four-month delay, the film, which also starts Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Phylicia Rashad and more, will avoid a busy holiday season with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiering on November 11, 2022.

In a December 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan spoke about his directing his first full-length effort.

“My ambition has intersected at this moment where I have the experience and knowledge to direct, the opportunity within a franchise to step behind the camera and [the ability] to maximize it by having a production company,” he said. “It’s my turn to make my impact while I have the energy and strength. I’ve got to tee up the ones that come after, but at the same time hyper-focus on what needs to be done right now. It’s the moment I’ve waited for my entire life. This is it. This can dictate the next 10, 15, 20 years.”

Following Creed III, Drago will be released with Dolph Lundgren playing the titular character — first seen in 1985’s Rocky IV and 2018’s Creed II – along with his Drago's son, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), previously seen in Creed II.

According to The Wrap, screenwriter will develop the Drago storyline. Lawson's script Becoming Rocky was one of 50 scripts that won a 2021 Nicholl Fellowship, making him a contender for Drago.