Sylvester Stallone Replaced As The Director of CREED 2

Sylvester Stallone was originally supposed to direct Creed 2 and I was actually excited about that. Deadline is now reporting that he is no longer directing the film, and he's already been replaced by Steven Caple Jr. I'm not really familiar with his work, but he worked on a series called Class and film called The Land.

According to the report, it was Stallone's decision to hire a new director for the film. The actor, who will still reprise his role as Rocky in the film, had this to say in a statement:

"The character of Adonis Creed reflects this generation and its challenges. I believe it’s important for the director to also be a part of this generation like I was in mine, to make the story as relatable as possible. We are extremely lucky to have the talented young filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. step up and accept the role of director. I am confident that he and Michael B. Jordan will hit it out of the park!"

I've gotta say, that pretty cool of him to step down like that for the benefit of the film. He was obviously getting into territory that he knew he wouldn't have been able to take on properly, so he brought in someone that he felt could. Producer Irwin Winkler added:

“We recognized Steven’s talent for telling ambitious stories with incredible heart in The Land. We are confident what he will bring to Creed 2 will result in a story that resonates with audiences all over the world.”

Creed 2 was written by Stallone and Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker. We don't know much about the story, but we do know that Dolph Lundgren will be back at Ivan Drago. The report also says that this installment "follows Adonis Creed’s life inside and outside of the ring as he deals with new found fame, issues with his family, and his continuing quest to become a champion."

The film is set to begin production in March in Philadelphia.