"Creed 2" casts Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu as the son of Ivan Drago.
It has long been rumored that the storyline of the 2015 hit boxing drama's second installment will follow the bad blood between Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) and Drago's (Dolph Lundgren) son.
Fans of the franchise would remember that it was Drago who killed Johnson's father Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in a deadly boxing match in "Rocky IV."
On Monday, Tracking Board as good as confirmed this storyline when it announced that the so-called "Big Nasty" boxer was cast to play Drago's son. Fans can expect to see an explosive battle between the two young boxers when they finally face-off in "Creed 2."
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa) confirmed the news in an Instagram post. The 71-year-old actor congratulated Munteanu for getting the role, and described him as "27 years old, 6 feet four, 245 pounds of talent."
This is the acting debut for Munteanu, who re-posted Stallone's announcement, saying it is a "huge honor to play in such a big movie."
"Can't even describe my feelings in words right now," he added in the caption. "But I'll promise you this... I'll work my a** of to make this movie unforgettable."
from @officialslystallone Congratulations to Florian “ Big Nasty” Munteanu for getting the part as IVAN DRAGOS son! 27 years old , 6 feet four, 245 pounds of talent.#mgm #creed #creed2 . Now it's very official!!! I'm so happy and thankful to announce that I will play IVAN DRAGO'S son in CREED II" data-caption="null" data-credit="null">
Stallone, Johnson, and Lundgren, along with Tessa Thompson (Bianca), will all return to reprise their roles in the second installment. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., there is a lot of expectation for the sequel, after the critically-acclaimed "Creed" raked in $173 million worldwide with only a $35 million budget. It was also the film that earned Stallone a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role. The second installment will be written by Stallone and Cheo Hodari Coker. Production for "Creed 2" is slated to begin in March in Philadelphia. It is scheduled to hit the big screens on Nov. 21, 2018.
