Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan will make his directorial debut with the upcoming boxing blockbuster, Creed III, and while that may seem a daunting task for a first-time filmmaker, Jordan has been given key advice from some of the most successful directors out there. Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jordan revealed that he has been speaking with the likes of Iron Man director Jon Favreau and A Star is Born’s Bradley Cooper, both of whom suggested he begin production on Creed III the same way.

Avoiding the dangerous pitfalls of procrastination, both Favreau and Cooper advised Jordan to get his days of filming started as soon as possible, and thus make the most of the day. And it certainly sounds like Jordan took that advice on board.

“One of the greatest advices I got was from Bradley Cooper and Jon Favreau. They was basically like, ‘Get your first shot off as quickly as possible.’ Like, it’s one of the – It can slow down your entire day. You know, if you don’t get that first shot off very early, you’re probably not going to make your day. So, as soon as you get it off, the train is rolling and the machine just won’t stop, so you’ll more than likely get more shots than you [would].”

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Creed III picks up five years after Creed II. After dominating the boxing world, Adonis “Donnie” Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. But when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Donnie must put his future on the line to battle Dame – a fighter with nothing to lose.

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The Fights in Creed 3 Have Been Inspired by Anime

     United Artists Releasing/Warner Bros. Pictures

The battle between Creed and Dame looks to be one of the most brutal ever in the franchise, with Jordan revealing where he took inspiration from when it came to shooting the highly anticipated fight scenes.

“It was a gift and a curse. There’ve been eight other movies before me, and we’ve shot – you can shoot a boxing match in so many different ways,” Jordan said. “I think ‘cause I was kinda put in a corner, it forced me to be more creative and really think outside the box of how to make the fights different… and I had a huge Japanese anime influence on a lot of my fighters. It’s tough. You got a mouthpiece in sometimes, you got gloves. You’re always depending on so many people. Your team is everything. So, to be able to be in the middle of a boxing scene, honestly, it’s sometimes easier because I can direct while I’m acting. If I need to move you upstage a little bit, I just move a little bit like this, and then I get the shot that I need.”

Creed III is directed by Michael B. Jordan, with a screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin from a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler. The sequel stars Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Creed 2 star Florian Munteanu, as well as Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Mila Davis-Kent, and Canelo Álvarez.

Creed III is scheduled to be released on March 3, 2023, by United Artists Releasing.