'Creed' Trailer: Rocky Balboa Returns To Pass The Torch

Rocky spawned five sequels over thirty years, some better than others. Now in Creed, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) returns one more time to pass the torch to a new young fighter: Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his old friend and rival Apollo Creed. Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) directs. Watch the new Creed trailer after the jump.

No one will ever take away Rocky Balboa's place as an American icon, but Adonis Johnson looks like he could be a worthy successor. Jordan's talents as an actor seem to be on full display here — no surprise, considering Coogler helped Jordan get some of the best reviews of his career in Fruitvale Station. And the premise seems like a smart way for the franchise to transition from one lead character to another without making it feel forced.

Creed arrives November 25. Also starring are Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, and Anthony Bellew.

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?