Creed is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Ryan Coogler from a screenplay by Coogler, Aaron Covington and contributions by Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to Rocky Balboa (2006), the seventh installment and spin-off of the Rocky franchise, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, and Graham McTavish. In the film, amateur boxer Adonis Creed (Jordan) is trained and mentored by Rocky Balboa (Stallone), the former rival of Adonis’ father, Apollo Creed.Although Rocky Balboa was considered the end of the franchise, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Coogler in 2013 to develop a Rocky spin-off.

Coogler and Covington’s original screenplay was completed by April 2014, with the involvement of Jordan and Stallone also confirmed. The remaining cast were hired by January 2015, after which, principal photography began and lasted until that April, with filming locations including Liverpool, Philadelphia, and Gainesville.Creed premiered on November 19, 2015, at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 25, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the date of the opening scene in the first film. The film was praised for Coogler’s direction, the screenplay, and acting performances. The film was also a commercial success, grossing $173 million worldwide. Among its accolades, it was selected by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2015, while Stallone won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The sequel, Creed II, was released in 2018.