We finally know who'll be playing Ivan Drago's son in 'Creed II'

Sylvester Stallone has revealed who Adonis Creed will be fighting in Creed II, and who’ll be playing him. In keeping with the next-generation themes of the first flick, and as expected, Creed’s going to be facing Ivan Drago’s son in the ring.

Yep, the offspring of Dolph Lundgren’s steroid-filled emotionless Olympic champion will be fighting against the son of the man Drago killed. Awkward.

In Rocky IV, you may recall, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers from Happy Gilmore) was savagely beaten by Drago, even after the bell was rung, even though it was just an exhibition match. Creed died, leading to the big Rocky vs. Drago fight, which excellently served as both a quest for vengeance and a pretty rad Cold War metaphor.

Now, 33 years later, Rocky’s protégé Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) will get a chance to do some beating of his own. Stallone is back as Rocky, and Dolph Lundgren is reprising his role as Ivan Drago, which, after the Expendables films, will make this the fifth movie in which he’s co-starred with Stallone. (And, as anyone who’s seen the Expendables films knows, he’s aged like an expensive wine. You know how Stallone still looks like a brick shithouse? Lundgren looks like a house so nice nobody ever shits in it, because the bricks are made of gold and marble.)

It doesn’t seem out of the question that Lundgren and Stallone will have a big ol’ scrap, especially given that Lundgren announced his casting in the film with an Instagram training montage video…

As for Drago’s as-yet-unnamed son, he’ll be played by this bloody mutant.

Romanian boxer Florian ‘Big Nasty’ Munteanu is 27, weighs 245lbs and looks like he eats children. This is his acting debut, although from the looks of his Instagram he is actual real-life Bane so should do a great job of being a baddie.

Also definitely returning to Creed II is Tessa Thompson (from Thor: Ragnarok) as Adonis’ girlfriend Bianca. Milo Ventimiglia is rumoured to be reprising his role as Rocky’s son from Rocky Balboa (this series is silly, it goes Rocky I-V, Rocky Balboa, Creed, Creed II), but that remains unconfirmed. 

Original Creed director Ryan Coogler is off in the Marvel Universe now, and Stallone at one point said he was returning to the director’s chair - he directed four of the previous entries in the series - but the director has since been confirmed as relative newcomer Steven Caple Jr. 

Creed II starts filming imminently and is set to come out on 21 November.