March 2023

Creed III Takes Big Swings

Photo by Eli Adé. All images courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. The fight scenes in Creed III are fueled by a broken bond between two men, yet first-time director — as well as star and producer — Michael B. Jordan attests that the cinematic depiction of this conflict was built upon a trusting collaboration. “I knew I was going to need a shorthand and somebody that I could trust on my directorial debut, and also somebody who would be able to teach me along the way and guide me through the process,” he says. Jordan found this collaborator in director of photography Kramer Morgenthau, ASC. Morgenthau, who had first worked with Jordan on the feature Fahrenheit 451 (AC June ’18), and then on Creed II, adds, “I could tell even on...more