"You gotta be a moron to wanna be a fighter."
Somehow, Rocky Balboa's own words never convinced him to hang up the gloves. We're lucky. Rocky is seminal. Not just for boxing movies, but for our cultural understanding of rising up and fighting back. Balboa teetered on the edge of criminality before landing in the ring with Apollo Creed. He lost that first fight. He stood up again. He knocked some folks out in sequels. He pulled a dog sled in Rocky IV, for chrissakes. Balboa taught us the importance of being morons. We're all better for it.
Can Stallone do it for a new generation? The muscle-laden actor revived the character for 2006's nostalgic Rocky Balboa, a treat for older fans that didn't quite jumpstart a new era for the franchise.
This year's Creed takes a different approach. This time, it's Apollo's son, Adonis Creed, who's duking it out with heavyweight contenders. Stallone's still back, sliding into trainer mode to right any lingering wrongs left when his old adversary bit the dust back in '85. Director Ryan Coogler reteams with his Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan to bring the new installment to life.
The first trailer for Creed teases those classic Rocky blueprints, complete with the cold streets of Philadelphia, and jolts us into a modern age – you won't see Adonis scaling any art museum stairs or hear composer Bill Conti's classic theme. There's nothing moronic about what Jordan's dishing out here (or maybe it's completely moronic – we'll wait for Balboa's take).
Watch the trailer for Creed above. The film's slated to arrive this November.
This article was originally published on Esquire.com
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