Creed Page #3

He puts his hands back up, and moves in Wheeler, barely on

balance. He swings hard, but Wheeler slips him, and connects

with a stiff left to his face, sending him crashing to the

mat.

HARD CUT TO:

BLACK:

FADE IN- ADONIS’ POV WHILE LAYING ON HIS BACK IN THE RINGSERIES

OF SHOTS:

- Wheeler picking up Adonis’ cash.

- Other fighters giving Wheeler pats on his back.

- Duke standing over Adonis- looking at him with concern.

DUKE:

Get the medic...

18 INT. DUKE’S OFFICE 18

The MEDIC (Black, 60’s) has just finished stitching up

Adonis’ eye and heads out of the room. Duke walks in and sits

down across from Adonis.

ADONIS:

Why won’t you help me, man.

DUKE:

Besides you disrespecting me in my

own gym?

ADONIS:

I gotta get your attention somehow.

DUKE:

You got it, and you’ve got my

answer.

ADONIS:

Then I’ll go to somebody else.

DUKE:

It’s not gonna matter. I promised

your grandmother that I’d do

everything in my power to keep you

from boxing. And that’s what I’m

gonna do.

(beat)

Now you want to go out to Mexico

and get yourself killed in one of

those bar fights, I can’t control

that. But around here, my word is

law.

12.

Adonis looks at Duke.

DUKE (CONT’D)

All that aside, kid. You’re not

even that good.

19 INT. CREED MANSION LIVING ROOM- DAY 19

Mary Anne sits on the couch, sipping from a glass, and

smiling at the television.

ON THE SCREEN- a home video of the Creed family, circa 1980.

ADONIS (O.S.)

Grandma!

Adonis storms into the living room, and turns off the TV.

Mary Anne gives him a look that could kill as he sits down

next to her.

ADONIS (CONT’D)

I need you to call Duke.

MARY ANNE:

I just got off the phone with him.

He told me Wheeler tore you a new

one.

ADONIS:

I need you to call him and tell him

to train me.

MARY ANNE:

Must be your concussion talking.

ADONIS:

You going behind my back telling

people not to touch me? That stops

today.

MARY ANNE:

A woman protects her family. Even

from themselves.

ADONIS:

I’m a grown man. This is what I

want to do with my life.

MARY ANNE:

You don’t know what you want. Look

at your face.

13.

(MORE)

I can’t tell you how many times I

had to sit up feeding Appolo

because his eyelids were swollen

shut. Or wiping his ass because he

couldn’t move his arms. Apollo gave

his life, so you wouldn’t have to

do this.

ADONIS:

Oh, so that’s why he took that last

fight?

Mary Anne cuts Adonis a cold look.

ADONIS (CONT’D)

He didn’t need the money. Why’d he

do it? Maybe he was sick of being

cooped up in this house with your

controlling ass-

WHAP! Mary Anne slaps the taste out of his mouth. Adonis

turns his head back to her for a beat, then storms out.

20 INT. CREED MANSION / TROPHY ROOM - DAY 20

Adonis is surrounded by the success of his grandfather Apollo

Creed. His eyes track the framed items on the walls: Apollo’s

American Flag Shorts, championship belts, humanitarian

awards, and pictures shaking hands with Presidents. His eyes

fall on a newspaper article with a picture of Apollo and

Rocky Balboa the clipping reads, “CREED TRAINS FORMER RIVAL”.

He goes over to a cabinet underneath the newspaper clippings,

and digs through a box. He takes an unseen object and storms

out.

21 INT. CLABSADDLE HOUSE / ADONIS ROOM - NIGHT 21

Adonis looks at the Wikipedia page for Rocky Balboa on his

iPAD. He taps the link to Adrian’s, website “CONTACT”. The

address is in Philadelphia.

22 INT. USED BOOKSTORE- PHILADELPHIA 22

Massive hands pick up a worn, paperback romance novel off the

display rack. The hands belong to ROCKY BALBOA (60’s, Italian-

American). He looks at the cover, through his glasses, and

mouths along to the title.

He slaps the book down on the checkout counter.

14.

MARY ANNE (CONT'D)

STORE OWNER (O.S.)

That’ll be all champ?

ROCKY:

Yup. Till next time.

(touches his stomach)

You think I could use your

bathroom.

23 INT. BOOKSTORE BATHROOM 23

On Rocky, leaning up against the walls of the stall, vomiting

into the toilet. He stands up, wipes his mouth.

24 EXT. USED BOOKSTORE- PHILADELPHIA 24

Rocky exits the store, book in tow headed towards his

industrial, white van parked on the sidewalk. He crosses the

street towards a corner-store

25 INT. LIQUOR STORE- PHILADELHIA 25

Rocky walks up to the CLERK (40’s Palestinian), eyeing the

liquor on display behind him.

ROCKY:

How ya doin. Let me get a little

bottle of Four Roses.

The clerk grabs a pint of the cheap stuff, puts it in a paper

bag, and sits it on the counter in front of Rocky.

CLERK:

Gonna have to see some ID, champ.

Rocky smiles as he counts out $15 and hands it over. The

clerk tries to give him change back, but Rocky declines it.

26 EXT. CEMETERY- ADRIAN’S PLOT- DUSK 26

The bouquet sits next to ADRIAN BALBOA’s headstone. Rocky

sits in a chair across from it, glasses on, reading the book

outloud. He comes to the end of the chapter, dog ears the

page and closes the book. He stands up, hides his folding

chair in the a tree, and starts off.

He stops at another headstone, and pulls the bottle of Four

Roses out of the bag, and sits it down, unopened on the

tombstone. We see it reads “PAULIE PENNINO” 1940-2012. Rocky

heads off towards his car.

15.

27 INT. CALIFORNIA MEN’S COLONY- SAN LOUIS OBISPO 27

We find Adonis, waiting in a line of visitors going through

processing. Guards look on, past the metal detectors, as

Adonis places his personal items in the X-Ray machine trays.

28 INT. VISITING ROOM- CMC SLO 28

Adonis sits down in a row of plastic chairs on the visitors

side of the glass panel. Several visits are going on on

either side of him, with INMATES, speaking with visitors

through black phones.

A BUZZ is heard, and TERREL JOHNSON (40’s) a man of slight

build but intense eyes, emerges from the prison door and sits

down across from Adonis. They stare at each other through the

thick glass. He picks up the phone. Adonis picks up his.

TERREL:

Look at you. All that hair on your

face. What are you now, 22?

ADONIS:

23.

Terrel takes this in.

ADONIS (CONT’D)

I’m leaving tomorrow. Going to the

East Coast. Not planning on coming

back.

TERREL:

That’s good. Wish I had some cool

advice to give you... but you done

outgrew mine.

ADONIS:

I didn’t come for advice. Just

wanted to tell you face to face.

Terrel nods.

TERREL:

Did you win?

Adonis nods. Terrel smiles.

TERREL (CONT’D)

I’ll look for you, in the papers,

and on ESPN.

16.

Rate this script:4.4 / 5 votes