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New 'Creed' Trailer: Rocky Hits the Ropes and a New Champ Rises

The latest trailer for Creed, a new sequel/spinoff of the Rocky franchise by Fruitvale Station writer-director Ryan Coogler, offers some details about its characters, and a gut-punch to fans of the long-running boxing franchise.

Creed is meant to function as a generational torch-passing: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the underdog boxer at the center of six films, becomes the mentor of a fresh-faced young fighter named Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), who just so happens to be the son of Rock’s old pal/rival Apollo. The basic premise was outlined in the first trailer, but the context in which the film will operate — and the troubles its characters will face — are really revealed in this new clip.

Adonis, who never knew his father, has been in and out of trouble his entire life, jailed over and over for street fights and other youthful transgressions. He has got a chip on his shoulder the size of a heavyweight title belt, which Rocky recognizes when he meets him at the city jailhouse, after bailing Adonis out.

Rocky, too, is alone, having lost his wife, trainer, and friends. He’s still a powerful man but he’s on the emotional ropes, and his mentorship of Adonis — which begins after the boxer cuts that timely check to the Philadelphia Police Department — offers him another shot at both glory and family.

But it won’t be as easy as helping a wayward kid get in shape; as the trailer shows, Rocky falls ill at one point, though the sickness is not revealed. It raises the stakes even higher, which is fitting, because this franchise has never been just about boxing.

Creed hits theaters on November 25.