After working for Ryan Coogler and Sylvester Stallone in the previous two installments of the franchise Creed, Michael B. Jordan has decided to take the reins of this third opus in addition to being the star once again. Interview.
Michael B. Jordan has every reason to be excited in the round of interviews to promote his Creed IIIthe “Rocky” spin-off franchise, initiated by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) in 2015, having already grossed $387.77 million at the worldwide box office. This time, the actor who started his career at the age of 12 in an episode of the cult series The Sopranoswent behind the camera for the first time.
“With Irwin Winkler [NDLR: le producteur des Creed, mais aussi du tout premier Rocky]we discussed for quite a while the fact that I direct one of the films”, indicated Michael B. Jordan who is also a producer, another first for Creed.
PHOTO COURTESY Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
Michael B. Jordan is 36 years old… and already 24 years in the business behind him. In the cinema, we have seen him in nearly twenty feature films – including Fruitvale Stationthe directorial debut of Ryan Coogler – and 23 television series, including TheWire… and the soap opera All My Children!
“We have been working together with Ryan, Irwin and Sylvester for seven years! In so many years, we have managed to develop, not only a recipe, but also a team whose work makes it possible to create these films”, he explained.
“I really felt it was the right time to step behind the camera and tell a story that I know well. I had been dreaming for some time about the direction the family could take Creedthe path that I could take with the franchise… It was truly the perfect marriage.
On the screenplay side – by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, this is the first time that Sylvester Stallone has not taken part – Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has found his balance between family life and professional life. But the release from prison of Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors who can currently be seen as Kang in the new Ant Man), a childhood friend of Adonis, comes to upset the tranquility of the boxing champion.
“Over the years, we have developed an effective filming technique. We start with all the boxing scenes. We ‘get rid’ of it right away if I can say so that we don’t have to worry about possible injuries such as, for example, a broken nose or a black eye which would delay the shooting, “he said. precise.
PHOTO COURTESY Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
Techno…
On the camera side, the first decision Michael B. Jordan made was to shoot this Creed III in IMAX format. A considered decision, heavy with technical consequences.
“We are still on the ninth film in the series of rocky, replied Michael B. Jordan. We have already shown so many boxing matches! You know, there aren’t many different ways to film a punch! It was therefore necessary to find other ways of showing the fights in order to raise the film to another level. We had to make the fights even more impressive, even more immersive and even more realistic. The IMAX format was, for me, the best way to get there.”
“The interest of the IMAX is as much visual as auditory, it is a technology which makes it possible to give to the spectators an impossible otherwise impossible experience. But I wanted to include moments of silence. Adonis comes from a deaf family as his wife, Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson), is hard of hearing, and their daughter Amara is deaf. So I wanted to explore that situation creatively.”
“I wanted to try to question the bias that we have as people who hear. How could I create a cinematic experience that made the public aware of this universe? That’s all I can say…I don’t want to spoil anything.”
PHOTO COURTESY Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
“The act of realizing Creed III allowed me to direct myself, which is a whole new experience. I took the opportunity to make subtle adjustments to my performance in order to generate specific reactions from the other actors. It’s a new work tool that I discovered… and a time saver. I didn’t have to shout ‘Cut!’, I could stay in the moment, keep my creative momentum while modifying certain things in my staging.
He waited to be confident before making his first film, he chose to produce it with people who are part of his professional family. Looking at his filmography, Michael B. Jordan seems measured. But not in all areas… fortunately.
“I like cool stuff and I want the images in the film to look good, I want the whole thing to be cinematic. I don’t want to be cautious, I want to try creative things, take risks,” he insisted, laughing.
Creed III arrives in theaters across the province on March 3.
Creed III: Five things to know behind the scenes of the film…
PHOTO COURTESY Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
- Achieving the physique you see on screen was no small feat. Corey Calliet, Michael B. Jordan’s trainer for Creed III had him do 60-90 minute sessions, once or twice a day, six days a week for four months before the first turn of the crank.
- Some fight choreographies were inspired by Michael B. Jordan’s love of manga. Thus, in the match between Adonis and Damian, fans will recognize a punch from Dragon Ball Z.
- Contrary to what one might think, the blows seen on the screen are not entirely false. Indeed, for the sequences in slow motion or those filmed very closely, Michael B. Jordan had no choice but to hit… and to be hit, even if the force of the blows was measured.
- For the realization, Michael B. Jordan was able to seek advice from Ryan Coogler as well as Denzel Washington with whom he shot A diary for Jordan just before Creed III.
- Let the “fans” be reassured, Michael B. Jordan does not lack ideas when he looks at the future of the franchise. Nothing is decided yet, but the actor, director and producer is not saying no to comic books and television series.