Creed II director Steve Caple Jr has praised Ryan Coogler for his inclusiveness

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Creed II’ director Steve Caple Jr has praised Ryan Coogler for his inclusiveness. While ‘Creed’ filmmaker Ryan stepped back from directing duties for the sequel and took on an executive producer role, he recommended Caple Jr for the job, even though his only previous directing credit was the 2016 indie movie ‘The Land’.

Steve told The Hollywood Reporter: “For Ryan Coogler, who’s a black, young director, to do what he’s done and then also bring up my name in a studio meeting, saying, ‘Y’all should look at Steven Caple Jr.,’ is crazy.”

However, he admitted he was nervous about stepping in to Coogler’s shoes for the sequel. He said: “I think, stepping into this franchise, coming behind some really good filmmakers, you get nervous. At the same time, it was a challenge I wanted to take on.”

Both Caple and ‘Rocky IV’ star Dolph Lundgren believe the ‘Creed’ franchise has updated the ‘Rocky’ world for a new audience. Caple said: “It was all coming from a personal place, and that’s what makes ‘Rocky’ movies relatable. For us, it was about making ‘Creed’ talk to our generation, the younger audience.”

Lundgren — who reprises his character, Ivan Drago, in ‘Creed II’ — said: “[‘Creed’] brought an urban component to [‘Rocky’] and a young component that we’re using in this film as well. It treated ‘Rocky’ with reverence and respect, but it brought new blood into it, new music, a new feel.”

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