Sylvester Stallone shares his thoughts on Creed III’s “interesting” story, which takes the franchise in a different direction following his departure. Over four decades ago, Stallone wrote and starred in John G. Avildsen’s Rocky. The film introduced moviegoers to Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, a.k.a. the “Italian Stallion,” a 30-year-old Philly slugger and hired muscle who’s granted the opportunity of a lifetime when he’s chosen to box the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The cultural impact of Rocky led to multiple sequels, which initially seemed to conclude with 2006’s Rocky Balboa.

In the wake of the very-disappointing Rocky V, Stallone intended for the sixth film to be his iconic character’s swan song. Instead, it became largely responsible for the franchise’s revival. Writer/director Ryan Coogler convinced Stallone to return as a mentor/trainer/father figure in a spinoff focusing on Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan). Creed and Creed II were critical and commercial successes, with the former earning Stallone his second Oscar nomination in 40 years for portraying the Italian Stallion.

Creed II saw Rocky take another final bow and truly hand the reigns over to Jordan, who will make his feature directorial debut with Creed III. Now, Stallone has shared his thoughts on the upcoming film following his supposed departure from the franchise.

In a recent interview with Metro at the UK launch of Paramount+, Stallone discussed what fans can expect from Creed III. Having bowed out of starring, Stallone is a producer on the film, which he teased as “really interesting.” Read what else he had to say below:

These comments appear to be further confirmation that Stallone will not be appearing in Creed III, which is appropriate considering the way its predecessor ended. Following in the footsteps of Stallone—who helmed every Rocky movie except the first one—it was announced last year that Jordan would direct Creed III. In addition to Jordan’s Adonis, the film will feature the return of Tessa Thompson’s Bianca and Phylicia Rashad’s Mary Anne Creed.

Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country, Loki) will play Adonis’ next opponent, Anderson Dame. As the first installment in the Rocky universe without Stallone, the threequel sounds poised to focus more on its identity as an independent narrative, and less on nostalgia as it remixes the franchise’s usual formula.

Outside of Rocky (and Rambo), Stallone will appear next in the upcoming superhero movie Samaritan, The Expendables 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and his first TV role in Paramount+’s Tulsa King. With all of that on the agenda, it certainly feels like fans may not see Stallone’s Balboa again. That said, the 75-year-old actor continues to tease the return of the Italian Stallion in a potential Rocky prequel series. Whether that happens remains to be seen. In the meantime, Stallone’s approval now bolsters anticipation for Creed III ahead of its release in theaters next year