Michael B. Jordan Says Directing Movies Is His Superpower
Michael B. Jordan compared directing Creed III to having a superpower that works for acting and directing.
This article is more than 2 years old
We’ve all seen Michael B Jordan’s acting talent, but for Creed III he’s stepping behind the camera for the first time. Fortunately, Jordan has received some guidance from experts like Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper, who also have experience directing themselves in a feature film. In an interview with Empire, Jordan explained how directing yourself is like a superpower, saying “But it’s also like having a superpower: within your performance, you can also direct.”
Michael B Jordan added that the experience is beginning to become more liberating for him as an actor, adding “It saves some time in some areas, because you get a chance to self-correct in the moment.” This definitely makes sense, and it seems like Jordan is taking to the directing job like a fish to water. While it’s no doubt an intimidating prospect to make your directorial debut in a film where you’re also the leading man, it’s for a character that he’s played multiple times now.
Creed III will mark Michael B Jordan’s third turn as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, and it will be the first time that Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa won’t be featured. To make the film more personal, Creed will have to go up against a former childhood friend played by Jonathan Majors. Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu, and Wood Harris also return with new faces played by Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Mila Davis-Kent, and Canelo Álvarez.
Michael B Jordan has some big shoes to fill, as the first Creed was directed by Ryan Coogler, who also directed Jordan in Black Panther and Fruitvale Station. While Coogler isn’t directing this time around, his fingerprints are still on the project as the screenplay by Keegan Coogler and Zach Baylin is based on a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler. Stallone is still involved in some capacity as well, as he is a producer on the film along with Coogler.
It definitely seems like Michael B Jordan has all the right pieces in place to make Creed III an impressive directorial debut. He has guidance from some Hollywood greats, a character that he knows and plays well, an intimidating antagonist in the form of Jonathan Majors, and a story from people who know what makes the franchise work. The Creed franchise has been the best addition to the Rocky franchise since the original Rocky films, so everyone is undoubtedly excited to see where Jordan and the rest of the cast and crew take the film.
While Coogler won’t be directing Michael B Jordan in Creed III, we’ll get to see this dream team sometime in the future when Jordans stars in Wrong Answer, an upcoming film about the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Wrong Answer was recently announced and has not only the dream team combination of Coogler and Jordan but also Ta-Nehisi Coates adapting the screenplay based on the New Yorker article by Rachel Aviv. There’s no word yet on when we can expect to see Wrong Answer, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
If you want to check out Michael B Jordan’s directorial debut in Creed III, you can catch it in theaters on March 3, 2023. You can check out Ryan Coogler’s latest directorial effort in theaters now with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Stay tuned for more news on Creed III and other projects.
