Creed (2015), the latest entry in the Rocky franchise, both pays homage to its storied cinematic heritage and distinguishes itself as a separate, unique entity. The sophomore effort of director Ryan Coogler (whose debut feature, Fruitvale Station (2013), received wide critical acclaim) follows Adonis Johnson (Fruitvale star Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of boxing champion Apollo Creed, who enlists an ailing Rocky Balboa (played by writer and star of the original Rocky films Sylvester Stallone) as a trainer and a mentor.

The original Rocky (1976) was written as a vehicle by and for a down-on-his-luck Stallone. The legend is well-known amongst film buffs: the struggling actor had $106 dollars in the bank, his wife was pregnant, and no one would cast him. Then, a fit of inspiration: Stallone is said to have written the classic screenplay in the span of three and a half days. He sold the script on the condition that he wouuld play the lead role, and the film’s enormous success (and his ten percent share) rapidly transformed him from starving artist to star. This Hollywood Cinderella story lends a certain poignancy and personal quality to the original Rocky films. How, then, could anyone but Stallone create a meaningful entry to the franchise?

Considering contemporary Hollywood’s oft-bemoaned dependency on franchises and established properties, a new Rocky film could easily appear to be a shameless ploy for the dollars of nostalgic filmgoers. However, like Stallone, Coogler (who began conceiving the movie while still in film school) felt a personal connection to the story. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Coogler explained, “My dad was a real big Rocky fan. He was getting older and got sick and I was trying to process it. I tried to get through it with this idea for his hero.” While Stallone was initially hesitant to pass on the Rocky mantle, he agreed to the project after seeing Fruitvale Station, a film that is similar to Rocky in its deeply-felt, personal intimacy.

Once Stallone was convinced to let Coogler create his own take on the Rocky franchise, he was content to participate in a purely supporting role. Unlike previous Rocky films, Stallone was totally uninvolved with the writing of the screenplay. This wasn’t merely an act of artistic generosity - Stallone insists that it was necessary for Coogler and co-writer Aaron Covington to tackle the screenplay. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Stallone said, “The reason that I didn’t want to write it is because it’s a whole new generation. Forty years has passed, and what worked in my generation doesn’t exactly work in this generation. Everything’s just changed.”

Creed is a film that is both familiar and completely new. While the original film was a labor of love that proved the chops of one of an earlier generation’s biggest stars, Stallone’s support of Coogler’s emergence as one of the foremost writer-directors of his generation mirrors the film’s poignant story of mentorship, maturation, and aging.