Not Sylvester Stallone, but Steven Caple Jr to direct Creed 2

Newcomer Steven Caple Jr will direct Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson in the next installment of the Rocky franchise, "Creed 2".Stallone, who had previously indicated on social media that he would helm the sequel, made the announcement on social media.

"The character of Adonis Creed reflects this generation and its challenges. I believe its important for the director to also be a part of this generation like I was in mine, to make the story as relatable as possible.

"We are extremely lucky to have the talented young filmmaker Steven Caple Jr step up and accept the role of director. I am confident that he and Michael B Jordan will hit it out of the park!" Stallone wrote on Instagram.

The character of Adonis Creed reflects this generation, and I believe it is important to have a director who is part of it , that is why I think we are Lucky to have Stephen Caple ,Jr A wonderful new talent take over The directorial chores and make the story as relatable as possible… He and Michael B Jordan will deliver a knockout!u

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:05pm PST

Jordan shared his enthusiasm on Instagram, writing, "Excited for (Ryan) Coogler to hand over the reins to Steven Caple Jr ? our director for Creed 2! Cant wait to bring you guys the next chapter of our story... coming at you November 2018."

Excited for Coogler to hand over the reins to Steven Caple, Jr. - our director for Creed 2! Can’t wait to bring you guys the next chapter of our story...coming at you November 2018! 👊🏾👊🏾#Creed2

A post shared by Michael B. Jordan (@michaelbjordan) on Dec 11, 2017 at 1:20pm PST

Caple, who made his feature film directorial debut on the 2016 Sundance entry "The Land", will direct from a script by Stallone and Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker.