Michael B. Jordan To Direct and Produce Creed III

Hollywoodreporter.com: Michael B. Jordan has officially closed his deal to make his directorial debut with Creed III, MGM announced Wednesday.

The company said the actor will not only return to reprise his role as the embattled boxer for the third installment of the rebooted Rocky movies but will also produce on top of directing.

MGM also set a release date of Nov. 23, 2022.

Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are expected to reprise their roles for the new movie that is being written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin and based on an outline by Ryan Coogler.

"Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right," said Jordan in a statement. "Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I've grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment."

Jordan continued, "This franchise and in particular the themes of Creed III are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed's story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake."

Coogler and Stephen Caple Jr. directed the previous two movies that punched their way  to almost $400 million at the worldwide box office.

Jordan's move behind the camera had been rumored for months and Thompson even  spilled the beans late last year in an interview, although MGM had no comment art the time.

"I cannot overstate how thrilled we are to have Michael directing the third film in the Creed series," said Irwin Winkler, the longtime producer of the Creed and Rocky movies. "His commitment to this character has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we know that will extend to his role behind the camera at the helm of this great new installment."

A Chartoff-Winkler Production, the film's producers include Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Jonathan Glickman, Jordan, and Coogler, producing in association with Proximity Media.

Executive producers include Adam Rosenberg, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler.

Jordan is reppepd by WME, M88, and Ziffren Brittenham.