Steven Caple Jr., whose indie feature The Land impressed audiences at Sundance 2016, has taken the reigns for the upcoming sequel, which will continue the chronicle of Michael B. Jordan’s boxer Adonis Johnson.
Although Stallone previously announced his intent to direct Creed 2, he was swayed by Caple Jr.’s talents.
Caple Jr. is writing the screenplay alongside Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, and Stallone has teased the possibility of addressing the death of Adonis’ father, Apollo Creed, during the match against Ivan Drago.
Variety reports that Stallone, Coogler and Jordan all agreed to offer Caple Jr. the directing gig based on the strength of The Land, his coming-of-age film about a group of teen boys who spend their summer pursuing a career in professional skateboarding in the hopes of leaving the streets of Cleveland behind.