"Creed 2" is bringing one of Rocky Balboa's (Sylvester Stallone) famous rivals back.
One of the toughest opponents Rocky faced in his entire boxing career was Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). The ruthless Russian killed Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in "Rocky IV" and almost did the same to the Philadelphia native, making him one of the most memorable characters in the franchise.
Over three decades later, Lundgren is reuniting with Stallone for "Creed 2." The actor recently shared what made him decided to sign on for the sequel.
"That was something Stallone suggested to me about a year ago," he said of their onscreen reunion. "I wasn't sure, since it's been about 30 years. I wanted Ivan Drago to live in the past, but it turned out that the script for 'Creed 2' was really good. All I can tell you is Ivan is back. The Russians come back over for a challenge."
"Creed" starred Stallone as boxer Rocky Balboa, who becomes the mentor of Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) — the son of his rival Apollo. In the sequel, Adonis will be fighting against Ivan's son inside the ring.
Last month, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the film has tapped German-Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu as Ivan's son. Steven Caple will serve as director and filming will begin this March in Philadelphia.
Jordan most recently starred in the blockbuster hit "Black Panther." The actor said he added 15 pounds of muscle after "Creed" in preparation for the Marvel film. Now that shooting for "Creed 2" will begin soon, Jordan's trainer Corey Calliet said they have been training hard to get the actor back into his boxing form.
"We were in New York City working out at 3 a.m. the other day," Calliet told Business Insider. "I promise you, the body I'm bringing to the screen for 'Creed 2' is going to be better than any of the work I've ever done."
"Creed 2" is scheduled to hit the big screen on Nov.21, 2018.
