Creed was an unexpectedly powerful and entertaining reboot of the Rocky franchise, and the sequel film, Creed II, will apparently continue mixing the saga of Apollo Creed‘s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) with fun callbacks to the Rocky saga that preceded it.
In an Instagram post over the weekend, Creed II writer and (presumably) star Sylvester Stallone posted an Instagram of his work on the script for the sequel, and that photo contained a pretty huge confirmation bombshell: the name “Drago,” which is all-too iconic within the Rocky saga storyline.
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Ivan Drago was, of course, the ruthless Russian boxing champion from Rocky IV, whom Rocky ultimately beat down, in a show of pure American grit and power, at the height of America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union. It makes perfect, poetic sense for Drago’s name and/or legacy to part of the Creed franchise’s storyline; after all, it was Ivan who murdered Apollo Creed in the ring. What remains to be seen, is if Ivan Drago (who is played by Sly’s Expendables co-star, Dolph Lundgren) will come as a friend or foe to Adonis – perhaps with his own offspring or protege in tow.
Rocky IV worked so well as an obvious “ra-ra” metaphor for America’s fortitude against the Soviet threat; it should be obvious now, how Creed II‘s 2018 release date puts it right in the middle of yet another moment in history when American/Russian relations can best be expressed through a montage of blood-soaked fisticuffs.
Maybe Creed II will become America’s new go-to patriotic sports movie? Or will Russian hackers just leak it? We’ll soon see.
Creed II is slated for release sometime in 2018. Below, You’ll find some of the teases Sly has been floating for this event – starting with his official confirmation on Instagram:
Sly Teases Drago’s Return
As you can see below, Sly has been using social media to hype the return of Drago/Dolphย Lundgrenย for sometime now:ย ย
