47 Fun Facts About Creed Movie

Who directed the first Creed film in 2015?

Ryan Coogler co-wrote it with Aaron Covington, which made Creed the first Rocky story Stallone had not written himself; the star came aboard as a producer instead.

Creed, the seventh Rocky film, reunited Michael B. Jordan with the director of which 2013 drama?

Fruitvale Station, with Jordan as Oscar Grant, won the top two prizes at Sundance in January 2013; that July MGM signed its first-time director to revive Rocky as a seventh film.

In Creed, Adonis is Apollo Creed's son by what kind of relationship?

An extramarital affair: Adonis never knew his father, who died before he was born, and it is Apollo's widow, Mary Anne, who takes him out of juvenile detention and raises him.

Who plays Mary Anne Creed, the champion's widow who raises Adonis?

Phylicia Rashad, best known as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, plays Mary Anne Creed, who fiercely opposes Adonis's boxing yet sends him star-spangled trunks like his father's before his title fight.

At the start of Creed, Adonis quits a job at what kind of company to box full-time?

A financial firm: he resigns from the Smith Boardley Financial Group just as he is being promoted, having secretly fought amateur bouts in Tijuana bars.

In Creed, what does Adonis lose to Danny 'Stuntman' Wheeler in a sparring bet?

His 1967 Ford Mustang was the stake when he dared anyone in the gym to land a clean head shot; in Creed II he wins it back by beating Wheeler for the heavyweight title.

What is the name of Rocky's Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, where Adonis first finds him in Creed?

Adrian's is named in honour of his late wife; by the time of Creed her brother Paulie has died too, and Rocky, estranged from his son, has little else left.

In Creed, Rocky reveals who won his secret behind-closed-doors bout with Apollo, a fight that begins as which film ends?

Rocky III ends as the two friends start a private bout, the favour Apollo asked for helping Rocky win his title back; in Creed, Rocky finally admits that Apollo won.

In Creed (2015), what is the profession of Bianca, Adonis's love interest played by Tessa Thompson?

Bianca is an up-and-coming Philadelphia singer-songwriter with progressive hearing loss; Tessa Thompson performed the character's songs herself.

Under what fight name does Adonis box before adopting the Creed surname?

Hollywood is the ring name he pairs with his mother's surname, Johnson, to hide his father's; once he beats Leo 'The Lion' Sporino, the losing camp leaks who he really is.

What illness is Rocky diagnosed with in the first Creed film?

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Rocky at first refuses chemotherapy because it failed to save his wife, and only relents when Adonis refuses to train for his title fight unless he takes treatment.

Adonis's big fight in Creed is against 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan, played by which real-life boxer?

Tony Bellew followed the film with the real thing: six months after it opened he knocked out Ilunga Makabu to win the WBC cruiserweight world title.

In Creed, Adonis's climactic fight with Ricky Conlan takes place at which English football ground?

Goodison Park is Everton's ground in Conlan's home city of Liverpool; shooting began there at half-time of a real Everton match, with Stallone on the big screens urging the fans to cheer.

How does Adonis's title fight in Liverpool end in the first Creed film?

Conlan wins on a split decision, but Adonis floors him for the first time in his career and goes the distance, just as Rocky lost narrowly on the cards in the 1976 original.

Sylvester Stallone was Oscar-nominated for Creed but lost; which major award did he win for the role?

The Golden Globe came with a slip: on air he forgot to thank his director and co-star, so he walked back on stage during the commercial break to make amends.

Creed's US release came exactly 40 years after the on-screen date of Rocky's opening bout with which fighter?

Spider Rico is the club fighter Rocky beats in the 1976 film's first scene, dated 25 November 1975 on screen; actor Pedro Lovell came back as Rico in Rocky Balboa, now working at Rocky's restaurant.

Which Swedish composer scored Creed, only the third composer in the history of the Rocky films?

Ludwig Göransson admitted the iconic Rocky theme made him nervous about the job; in the end he quoted 'Gonna Fly Now' inside his own cue 'You're a Creed'.

Creed was the final film of which long-time Rocky producer, who died two months after shooting wrapped?

Robert Chartoff's 1976 Rocky went ahead with the unknown Stallone in the lead although the studio wanted a star; he died in June 2015, before Creed reached cinemas.

In Creed's final scene, Adonis and a frail Rocky climb the steps of which Philadelphia landmark?

The Philadelphia Museum of Art's 72 steps were a sprint for Rocky in 1976; in Creed he is frail from his illness and makes the climb with Adonis at his side instead.

Who directed Creed II after the first film's director stepped aside to make Black Panther?

Steven Caple Jr. had made only the indie drama The Land; Stallone had announced in October 2017 that he would direct the sequel himself, then handed it on two months later.

Adonis's opponent in Creed II is Viktor Drago, whose father did what in Rocky IV?

Killed Apollo in the ring, during a Las Vegas exhibition; Ivan then lost to Rocky, a defeat that Creed II shows cost him his standing and his marriage, which is why he trains Viktor for revenge.

Who plays Tony 'Little Duke' Evers, the trainer who corners Adonis in Creed II?

Wood Harris, Avon Barksdale in The Wire, plays Tony 'Little Duke' Evers, son of Apollo's old trainer Duke; he turns Adonis away in Creed and corners him in Creed II.

Disgraced in Russia after losing to Rocky, Ivan Drago is raising his son in which country as Creed II begins?

Ukraine is where a broke, embittered Ivan has raised Viktor alone since his wife Ludmilla walked out after the Rocky defeat; the film ends with father and son training there again.

How does Adonis keep his title despite being battered in his first fight with Viktor Drago?

Viktor is disqualified for hitting Adonis while he is down, so the belt stays put; Adonis had rushed into the bout without Rocky in his corner and leaves it badly injured.

What is the name of Adonis and Bianca's daughter, born in Creed II?

Amara is born deaf, inheriting her mother's hearing condition; for Creed III the producers held a nationwide open call for deaf child actors and cast newcomer Mila Davis-Kent.

Where does the Creed II rematch with Viktor Drago take place?

The rematch is staged in Moscow, mirroring Rocky's 1985 bout with Ivan; Rocky and Little Duke prepare Adonis at a derelict desert camp, teaching him to absorb Viktor's power.

How does the Creed II rematch end?

Ivan throws in the towel to protect his son after Ludmilla walks out of the arena; he finally chooses Viktor's safety over the approval of Russia's elite.

Which actress reprises her Rocky IV role as Ludmilla Drago in Creed II?

Brigitte Nielsen married Stallone weeks after Rocky IV opened and divorced him 19 months later, so Creed II put her back in a film co-written by her ex-husband.

At the end of Creed II, Rocky travels to which city to reconcile with his estranged son Robert?

Vancouver is where Robert moved after the events of Rocky Balboa; Rocky finally goes there to make peace with him and meets his grandson Logan for the first time.

In Creed III, who plays Damian 'Dame' Anderson, Adonis's childhood friend and former boxing prodigy back from prison?

Jonathan Majors was also Marvel's Kang the Conqueror that year; weeks after Creed III opened he was arrested in New York, and Marvel dropped him when he was convicted that December.

In Creed III's prologue, what gets Dame arrested while young Adonis escapes?

He pulls a gun in a street brawl: Adonis has attacked Leon, the abusive carer from their old group home, and is being beaten by Leon's friends, so Dame draws to save him as the police arrive.

What amateur title had Dame held before prison, as recalled in Creed III?

Golden Gloves champion Dame talks that night in 2002 of turning professional and winning a world title; hours later he is arrested, and he spends the next 18 years in prison.

How does Dame get his first title shot in Creed III?

He replaces an injured Viktor Drago, attacked at a party before facing champion Felix Chavez; Adonis later finds a prison photo of Dame with the attacker and realises his friend arranged it.

Why had Adonis never received the letters Dame wrote him from prison?

Mary Anne kept them from him, thinking Dame a bad influence; Adonis learns this only years later and is furious that Dame was left believing he had been abandoned.

Where is the climactic 'Battle of Los Angeles' between Adonis and Dame staged?

The 'Battle of Los Angeles' is staged at Dodger Stadium; Adonis is knocked down after flashbacks to the group home, beats the count and knocks Dame out to take the title.

Which anime did Michael B. Jordan cite as a heavy influence on Creed III's fight scenes?

Naruto and Dragon Ball Z both stage the blow he borrowed, two fighters landing a cross-counter at once; he said he modelled it on Naruto and Sasuke because they fight as brothers.

Creed III was billed as the first sports film shot with cameras certified by which cinema brand?

IMAX certified the Sony Venice digital cameras used for part of the shoot, and MGM made it a selling point, releasing a behind-the-scenes featurette about the IMAX shoot months before the film opened.

Which rapper executive-produced the Creed III soundtrack?

J. Cole's Dreamville label took on a job the first film's composer had largely handled himself, and trailed the album with 'Ma Boy', a single by its own artists J.I.D and Lute.

Which Mexican boxing superstar makes his acting debut with a cameo as himself in Creed III?

Canelo Álvarez was unveiled by the film's director on Instagram as 'the legend himself', two days before his third fight with Gennady Golovkin; his wife, Fernanda Gómez, cameos too.

Creed III cost about $75 million to make; roughly how much did it gross worldwide?

$276 million made it the biggest earner of the three Creed films, even though it was the first without Stallone's Rocky on screen.

Sylvester Stallone refused to watch Creed III mainly because of his feud with which producer?

Irwin Winkler has controlled Rocky since a near-broke Stallone sold the rights in 1976; Stallone called him a parasite 'picking clean the bones' of his characters over a Drago spin-off planned without him.

Which actor played Apollo Creed, Adonis's father, in the original Rocky films, appearing in Creed only through archive footage?

Carl Weathers won the part by insulting the star: reading opposite Stallone, he said he could do better with a real actor, unaware of who he was, and the nerve of it helped land him the role.

Who plays Rocky's estranged son Robert in Creed II, reprising his role from Rocky Balboa?

Milo Ventimiglia first played Robert in 2006, taking over from Stallone's real son Sage, who had the part in Rocky V; before Creed was even shot he said he would love to come back if asked.

Why is Adonis retired from boxing as Creed III begins?

He wants time with his family: having avenged his only career defeat in a rematch, Adonis hangs up his gloves and, three years on, runs a gym and promotes other fighters.

Which real-life boxer plays Danny 'Stuntman' Wheeler, who beats Adonis in a sparring bet in Creed?

Andre Ward retired unbeaten as a professional in 2017; a year later Creed II scripted him the defeat real opponents never managed, with Adonis taking Wheeler's heavyweight title.

In Creed, Adonis is turned down at which elite Los Angeles gym, run by the son of his father's old trainer?

Delphi Boxing Academy's boss, Little Duke, turns him away in the first film; by Creed III the tables have turned and Adonis is running the academy alongside him.

Creed cost about $35 million to make; roughly how much did it gross worldwide?

$174 million, about five times its budget: with roughly $110 million of that from North America, MGM confirmed a sequel was in development within six weeks of release.