Creed 2, starring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Steve Caple Jr., released its first trailer on Tuesday ahead of its release on Nov. 21.
Watch the trailer for Creed 2 in the video above.
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The sequel to the 2015 film and the eighth installment in the Rocky film franchise sees Jordan back as Adonis Creed, the son of original Rocky antagonist Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). By his side are trainer and former world champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson) as he battles his way up the ranks to become a boxing world champion.
The official synopsis for the film reads, “Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring.”
“Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family,” the synopsis continues. “Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.”
Creed’s father died in the ring during the events of Rocky IV in an exhibition match with Soviet Union behemoth Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Balboa went on to defeat Drago in the climax of the film, but the Russian has returned for this new installment alongside his son, a fellow boxer named Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).
“People like me, we live in the past. You got people that need you know,” Stallone’s Balboa says to Jordan’s Adonis Creed in the trailer, seemingly trying to get him to reconsider his fight against Drago. “You’ve got everything to lose. This guy’s got nothing on us.”
“I ain’t got a choice,” Creed replies.
“That’s the same thing your father said and he died right here in my hands,” Balboa says.
Amid dramatic fight scenes interspersed with images of Creed and his family, the words “There’s more to lose than a fight” appear on the screen.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the original Creed brought in a total domestic gross of $109.8 million against a $35 budget. Stallone’s performance as the iconic Balboa earned him a Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor as well as an Academy Award nomination.
