Brigitte Nielsen’s iconic role of Ludmilla may not make the final cut for Creed 2, The Blast reports.
Despite sources telling the news outlet that Nielsen did spend several weeks in Philadelphia filming for the latest Rocky installment, her role has still not been officially added to the film. The studio has reportedly been testing parts of the movie in front of focus groups, leaving Nielsen’s character’s fate undecided.
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In Rocky IV, Nielsen played Ivan Drago’s ruthless wife (and Viktor’s mother), Ludmilla, but fans will have to wait and see if she will return in Creed 2, set more than 30 years after Rocky and Ivan Drago initially faced off.
In a newly released trailer for Creed 2, a scene near the end shows Sylvester Stallone‘s Rocky Balboa and Dolph Lundgren‘s Ivan Drago staring each other down. The moment is incredibly intense, given that the two challengers hadn’t faced off since 1985’s Rocky IV after Ivan killed Rocky’s friend Apollo Creed in the ring.
Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, is the father of Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, who is the main focus of the Creed films. Creed 2 sees Adonis facing off against Ivan’s son Viktor Drago (pro boxer Florian Munteanu), bringing everything full circle. The complex plot means Adonis is fighting in the name of his father, who he never got to know, and that Viktor is fighting to reclaim family honor after his own father lost to Rocky.
Adonis will attempt to balance his personal life with his boxing career. Fans last saw him in 2015’s Creed that saw him begin his life as a professional athlete. In another trailer released earlier this year, Apollo’s coach Rocky, the man who defeated Ivan Drago, gives Apollo a few words of advice.
“You’ve got everything to lose,” Rocky says. “This guy’s got nothing to lose.”
In addition to Jordan, Stallone, Lundgren and Munteanu, Creed 2 also stars Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris and Andre Ward. Milo Ventimiglia will also reportedly be reprising his role from the earlier Rocky films as well: Robert Balboa Jr. — Rocky’s son.
Professional boxers Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield and Sugar Ray Leonard are also reported to be appearing in cameo roles as themselves.
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (The Land, Grown-ish) Creed 2 is the eighth film in the Rocky franchise, which began in 1976 with Rocky, written by Stallone himself. Creed 2‘s screenplay was written by Stallone and Juel Taylor.
Creed 2 arrives in theaters on Nov. 21.
