The cold war heats up in Creed 2. Dolph Lundgren returns to play Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who killed Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in Rocky IV. No word if Brigitte Nielsen will reprise her role as his not-so better half, Ludmilla Vobet Drago.
The Italian Stallion avenged his friend in the ring but Drago went on to win a Heavyweight title after the collapse of the USSR according to Rocky: The Ultimate Guide. Meanwhile, Rocky has since retired and started training Apollo’s son, Adonis “Donnie” Johnson Creed (Michael B. Jordan).
I must break who?
It’s uncertain exactly who will be the main event but Stallone told TMZ he will come to blows with his old rival despite being relegated to the role of trainer.
“You know I gotta hit Drago once,” Stallone teased.
The actor is killer shape at 71 years old but it’s unlikely his character will step back into the ring. The last film ended with him battling cancer. Rocky may not have the stamina to go 12 rounds but he showed off his street fighting skills against his much younger protegee, Tommy, in Rocky V. Rock will probably get a few good licks in against Drago before someone steps in and breaks up the fight.
There’s speculation that Donnie will fight Drago’s son; however, that seems a little too contrived. To have any real closure, Donnie is going to have to defeat Drago. It’s not difficult to imagine Lundgren putting his boxing gloves back on. Stallone was 60 in Rocky VI: Rocky Balboa and nearly won. Lundgren is a relatively young 59. And at 6 feet and 5 inches, he’s still got half a foot over Jordan.
Whoever he fights, it’s unlikely he’ll have many fans in either the boxing audience or the movie audience. The film will undoubtedly try tap into some of that animosity following Russia’s tampering in the US election. Contradicting Rocky’s speech at the end of Rocky IV, “If I can change, and you can change, then everybody can change!”
Creed 2 release date: 2018
