It’s impressive that theRockyfranchise still has relevance to modern viewers, as even though it is nearly a half-century old, the story of an underdog boxer fighting for their friends and family remains an inspirational story. AlthoughRocky Balboaprovided a solid conclusion to the franchise thatSylvester Stallonehad created, the series was given new life whenRyan CooglerdirectedCreed, the Oscar-nominated spinoff film that introducedMichael B. Jordanas the new face of the franchise. While news of what the next installment in theCreedfeature film franchise has stalled,Amazon hasannounced a new spinoff calledDelphi, which will follow the various young boxers that train in the titular gym.
Given that theCreedandRockyfranchises are among the most powerful properties that Amazon now has control over following their acquisition of MGM, it makes sense that there would be interest in expanding its universe; Jordan has beencagey on when a fourthCreedfilm would happen, but has joinedThe Delphias a producer.Targeting a new audience with young characters that could allowThe Delphito be a multi-generational hit, similar to the success story that Netflix had when it expandedThe Karate Kiduniverse intoCobra Kai.
What Would ‘Delphi’ Be About?
While many franchise spinoffs can feel like cynical attempts to keep spinning the wheels of the story,The Delphiis a natural progression of theCreeduniverse,given where Adonis’ story arc ended at the conclusion ofCreed III. Although Adonis has reclaimed his title as one of the world’s greatest boxers, he has shown just as much interest in helping to inspire younger people who have the opportunity to find themselves through boxing. Using his gym as a point in which to explore a new cast of fresh faces makes sense within theRockyuniverse, but it also allowsThe Delphito tell its own story. Despite its nostalgic ties,Creedis a great American film that doesn’t require any knowledge of theRockyfranchise to be anemotional story about familyand perseverance; hopefully,The Delphiwould provide a good entry point for younger audiences that are not already familiar with theCreedfilms.
The Delphihas the opportunity to take a new approach to theRockyfranchiseby turning it into an ensemble piece. While there was a wealth of interesting supporting characters that appeared throughout both theRockyandCreedfilms, they never superseded the importance of Stallone and Jordan, respectively. Boxing is a fascinating sport that involves various different fighting styles, meaning that theCreedandRockyfilms were limited in what they could show. IfThe Delphigets a diverse group of young actors to play distinctive characters, it would help depict the sport in a far more realisticway than its cinematic predecessors.
There’sa history of great televisionabout sports, asFriday Night Lights, Ted Lasso, GLOW,andWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastywere all met with positive reviews from television pundits and sports buffs alike. While there are many excellent films about boxing, it hasn’t been as frequent a topic on television, givingThe Delphisignificant room to grow. The association of theCreedname also would seemingly allowThe Delphito access some of the deeper themes that made the spinoff series so successful; with commentary on generational wealth, masculinity, broken families, and obsessive rivalries,Creedintroduced some interesting concepts that could be fleshed out with even more depth throughout an extended dramatic series.
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Could ‘Delphi’ Be the Next ‘Cobra Kai?'
Cobra Kaiprovided an interesting blueprint forThe Delphito follow, as the series was incredibly clever in utilizing its nostalgia. By turning Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) into a tragic, redemptive hero,Cobra Kaiwas able to hook in those who had grown up withThe Karate Kidand offer them the chance to look at the original story from a different perspective. Nonetheless, charismatic breakout actors likeXolo MaridueñaandPeyton Listensured that younger viewers had characters they could relate to. While it’s unclear how closelyThe Delphiwill be tied into theCreeduniverse, the fact that Jordan is involved in a behind-the-scenes capacity suggests thatthere may be some connective tissue.
That being said,The Delphiwill have to take a very different tonal approach when compared toCobra Kai, as theRockyandThe Karate Kidfranchises are quite different. While they are both ostensibly underdog stories,The Karate Kidhas always had a more heightened tone that lends itself to comedy;Cobra Kaiincorporated humor throughout its run, and featured some playfully absurd storylines. While it is likely thatThe Delphiwould not deal with some of the more dramatic issues from the films, such as Rocky’s diagnosis in the firstCreedfilm, it would need to retain a relatively grounded approach in order to remain consistent with the overall franchise.
Cobra Kaihad many advantages thatThe Delphidoesn’t,asThe Karate Kidspinoff was a genuine word-of-mouth hit; it had been several years since aKarate Kidfilm had been released in theaters, and Zabka had not remained as public of a figure in the same way that Jordan did. TheCreedfranchise is already a major success, which will put more pressure onThe Delphito live up to expectations; given that there are likely more cinematic entries following,The Delphiwould need to plan to accept any new pieces of lore that could be introduced in the supposedCreed IV. However,Cobra Kaidid prove thatthere was a way to make completely sincere, heartfelt stories that spoke to multiple generations, and use the original intellectual property as a jumping off point; ifThe Delphiis able to capture even a bit of that unique magic, then it would be safe to say that Prime Video and Jordan have a major winner on their hands.
