Michael B. Jordan dishes on creating training montage on 'Creed III'

Michael B. Jordan made his directorial debut with the upcoming ninth instalment Creed III of the Rocky franchise.

The trailer for the movie premiered on October 18, and in a virtual Q&A session with reporters earlier this week, Jordan talked about what inspired him to get into directing the movie.

“I finally got to this place in my career where I really wanted to tell a story, you know, and not just be in front of the camera, not just execute somebody else's vision," he said. “And having a character that I've played twice before, you know it's been 7, 8 years living with this guy, so to be able to tell a story of where I believe Adonis is at.”

He also added that he wanted to share his life experience through the characters. “Also, at 35 years old, I had a lot to say as a young man, as a young Black man, just my life experiences and how I could actually share that, share a piece of myself with the world through these characters and through this story."

On the craft of direction, the actor clarified that it was not just a whim but something he has been thinking about for a while. “I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of incredible directors, and having a lot of guidance and mentors and people that I look up to, who inspired me to be on that storytelling level,” he shared.

“I’ve been quietly watching and putting together these folders of things that I wanna try, for quite some time now. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to step up and get behind the camera. And this was the one for me.”

In any action movie, there is always an epic action sequence or training montage that remains memorable to moviegoers. When asked about the art of the training montage, Jordan revealed, “Get any and everything you can – every push up and every speed bag moment. No. With the montage, it’s about, what are the stakes? Has your character left the montage better than he was, when he first started? I think that’s a good one to stick to.”

Creed III is out in theatres on March 3, 2023.