Ventimiglia reprises his role from the former film. Andre Ward as Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler: A heavyweight boxer and Adonis' rival whom Adonis beats to become the heavyweight champion. Brigitte Nielsen as Ludmilla Vobet Drago: Ivan's ex-wife and Viktor's mother who left the pair during the latter's infancy.
In a surprise cameo, actress Brigitte Nielsen appeared in last year's Creed II, reprising her role as Ludmilla Drago from Rocky IV. The years made Ludmilla even colder as she had abandoned her husband and son and at the film's end, left ringside when it became clear that Viktor was going to lose.
Ludmilla returned in Creed II, where it is revealed that she had given birth to Drago's son Viktor in 1990, and that she divorced Drago afterwards before marrying a rich man, leaving Drago to raise Viktor as a fierce boxer in poverty.
Despite being the face of the Rocky franchise, Stallone chose not to appear in Creed III due to creative differences with producer Irwin Winkler as well as with Jordan, although he is still a producer on the film. According to Stallone, the film had a much darker tone that he didn't agree with.
CREED 2- Viktor Drago meets his MOM 😱/ Viktor Drago NEW BOXING SHORTS 🥊
Why did Drago's wife leave?
After his loss to Rocky, Drago was disgraced by the USSR and Ludmilla left him to raise their son, Viktor, on his own. Following the end of the Cold War, Drago was forced to move to Ukraine, where he lived a modest life while relentlessly training Viktor to be an even more formidable boxer than he was.
The franchise has carried on into the Creed movies and even lost Rocky himself along the way, but the questions remain how did Adrian die in Rocky and why she was killed off. Unfortunately, Adrian from Rocky is written to have lost a battle with cancer off-screen in the time between Rocky V and Rocky Balboa.
Summary. Creed 4 is unlikely to feature Stallone due to the direction the franchise is heading. Rocky's absence in Creed III indicates the franchise's shift beyond Stallone's involvement. Stallone's return to the Rocky franchise could revitalize his career and appeal to newer audiences.
Stallone opened up about his absence, explaining that Creed III took a different direction than he would've taken it. "It's a different philosophy... I like my heroes beat up, but I just don't want them going into that dark place. I just feel people have enough darkness."
Russell Hornsby as Buddy Marcelle: A boxing promoter who sets up the match between Adonis and Viktor. Milo Ventimiglia as Rocky Balboa Jr.: Rocky's estranged son, who moved to Vancouver in the period between Rocky Balboa (2006) and Creed and is now a father himself. Ventimiglia reprises his role from the former film.
Captain Ivan Vasilyevich (Petrovitch) Drago (Russian: Иван Васильевич (Петрович) Драго) is the main antagonist of Creed II and Rocky IV, the overarching antagonist of the 2015 film Creed, and flashback antagonist in Rocky V.
One other character was a major part of the movie's franchise, Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers. The characters are completely fictional, which means Creed is not based on a true story. In Coogler's movie, he wanted to give a tribute to his father, who is a big Rocky fan.
Brigitte Nielsen (born 15 July 1963) appeared as Ludmilla Drago, the sadistically Soviet-patriotic wife of Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in the Rocky IV film.
"That's a regretful situation because I know what it could have been," Stallone told THR about disagreeing with the new film's tone. "It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would've taken it. "It's a different philosophy, Irwin Winkler's and Michael B. Jordan's.
All those years of playing Adonis Creed have earned Michael B. Jordan some serious boxing skills. In a new behind-the-scenes video from the "Creed III" set, the actor is seen warming up in the ring with professional boxing coach Ann Najjar before filming a fight scene.
Creed is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Covington. It is the first spin-off of and is the seventh installment in the Rocky film series. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, and Graham McTavish.
Announced to be in development in November 2023 (a mere eight months after the release of Creed III), Creed 4 will seemingly see the Rocky/Creed franchise return to the big screen for a 10th movie (per Variety).
In the third film, released in 1982, Creed has Rocky in his corner when he takes on James “Clubber” Lang (Mr. T), and he's killed by Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in Rocky IV (1985).
Unfortunately for those eager to see the Rambo story continue, Rambo 6: New Blood is a fake/made-up movie, and this trailer is a fake one created from past clips of Stallone performances.
Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films opposite Sylvester Stallone, died Thursday, his manager Matt Luber confirmed to Variety. He was 76.
In autumn of 2001, Adrian discovered that she was dying from ovarian cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, but it was not enough to save her life. Adrian died peacefully in her sleep on January 11, 2002, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aged 51, with her family by her side.
Rocky and Adrian's whirlwind romance makes sense given their circumstances - Rocky saw Adrian as a chance for a supportive partner and a family. Adrian went through significant character development, transforming from a timid person in Rocky's shadow to a strong-willed, resilient partner after their marriage.
