Sylvester Stallone clarifies Creed 3 absence doesn’t mean he’s turning his back on franchise

Actor announced in June that he would not be reprising his iconic role as Rocky in the ninth installation of the franchise

Sylvester Stallone has cleared up any confusion regarding his absence from the forthcoming Creed III.

The 76-year-old Oscar-nominated actor announced in June that he would not be reprising his iconic role as Rocky Balboa in the Creed II sequel.

Earlier this week, he addressed the decision as a “regretful situation”, further explaining that the film “ was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it”.

Creed III will mark Michael B Jordan’s directorial debut as he takes over from previous Creed (2015) and Creed II (2018) directors Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr.

However, despite creative differences, Stallone clarified to The Independent during an interview on Thursday 10 November that his withdrawal doesn’t speak to his future in the franchise.

“What it was is Michael is telling a story, highly personal, but there’s no room for me. In other words, it’s about his [character Adonis Creed’s] family, about his dilemma, and about his journey that has nothing to do with boxing,” he said.

“I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s a whole different point of view than Rocky’s point of view.”

Sylvester Stallone in ‘Tulsa King’ (Frank Ockenfels/Paramount+)

Stallone continued: “And I kept looking for, ‘Where do I insert myself, here?’ I’d basically be walking around with a bucket, ‘Ready to spit, ready to spit?’

“And I just said there’s was nothing really there for me. Now, if there’s a four that comes out and there’s this camaraderie, say father and son-ness, which I thought that’s what it should be throughout,” he added.

“Like I become the Mickey [portrayed by the late Burgess Meredith in the first three Rocky films] character, which I had become, then yeah.”

When asked once again to confirm that his absence didn’t mean he had opted out of future appearances, Stallone reassured: “Oh, no, no, no. I swear.

“He wrote a very airtight script. It would’ve been almost perfunctory. It would’ve been like an appendix that was unnecessary, it was just there. To say, Rocky’s in a movie, but he’s not really.”

He later recounted his real-life “Rocky moment”, admitting that’ he’s gotten into “many” fights back in the day.

Stallone will soon make his TV debut in Paramount+’s newest drama comedy series Tulsa King.

He leads the series as mafia capo Dwight Manfredi, whose boss exiles him to Tulsa, Oklahoma after his recent release from 25 years in prison.

Tulsa King premieres on 13 November on Paramount+, with new episodes released weekly.