'Creed' Trailer: There's A New Fighter In Town

Creed marks a new chapter in the long Rocky storyline, and the film is both a sequel and, in a way, a reboot. Rocky is still around, still played by Sylvester Stallone. But this time, he's in the corner as a trainer for a young fighter, and that fighter is the son of his old foe Apollo Creed. Michael B. Jordan plays Adonis Creed, a promising slugger who will also be the true star of the new film.Update: Just after we ran a brief bit of footage from the film, the first Creed trailer arrived. You can check it out below.

The trailer comes via USA Today:

That's a very promising trailer.

With Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler calling the shots, we're really interested to see how Creed will play in the long run. The idea of having Rocky train a young fighter is both obvious and perfect, and looking to the son of Apollo Creed as the main character is equally clever. Clever only gets you so far, but if this trailer accurately represents the film, it might have a hell of a punch, too. I can't wait to see this one in a theater with an audience that doesn't know what it is at first.

Prior to the trailer hitting, we had a brief look via the Instagram feed of British fighter Tony Bellew, via The Playlist.

Creed also features Phylicia Rashad as Apollo's widow; Tessa Thompson as Adonis' love interest; and Anthony Bellew as boxer "Pretty" Ricky Conlan. Creed opens November 25, 2015. Here's the synopsis:

Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there's no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed's legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.

Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.

With Rocky in his corner, it isn't long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title... but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?