Michael B Jordan explains how Denzel Washington helped him direct Creed III

Michael B Jordan has revealed how Denzel Washington helped him direct Creed III.

The Rocky spin-off will be Jordan’s first time behind the camera after Ryan Coogler directed the first film in the series and Steven Caple Jr the second.

In an interview with AP Entertainment, Jordan revealed that Washington, who directed him on A Journal for Jordan, gave him a lot of help: “He literally called up a friend of his who’s a storyboard artist — and dialed him up right there, pitched him [and] me in the project and put me on the phone.”

Jordan, who also stars in the Creed franchise as the boxer Adonis Creed, added: “I talked to him and that’s how I got one of my storyboard artists. Right there on the spot at rehearsal.”

Jordan praised Washington’s kindness and willingness to help on his first directing project: “That’s D, man. He’s willing to do anything to help. He wants to pass on knowledge and make art a little easier in however he can help.”

The Fantastic Four star has previously talked about his ambition to direct films: “Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right. Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally and learning from the greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment.”

Creed III will be the first film in the series not to feature Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa but Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are returning and Jonathan Majors is an addition to the cast.

The first two installments were released in 2015 and 2018 to critical and commercial acclaim.

As well as directing The Journal of Jordan, Washington can also be seen in Apple’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, which is directed by Joel Coen and also stars Frances McDormand and Brendan Gleeson.