• Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa won't be in the third installment of "Creed," but not because of any rivalry with star Michael B. Jordan. The "Black Panther" star, 35, in a recent interview with Total Film, explained Stallone's absence in the latest installment of the franchise begun by the 76-year-old Stallone. "We wouldn't have Donnie without Rocky, and he will always be a pillar in Donnie's life, but 'Creed III' is really the dawn of a new era for the franchise and the character," Jordan said. "It was really important from a storytelling perspective to get to a pivotal point in Donnie's career a few years down the line where he has really established himself with his professional career and his family," he said. Stallone, who wrote the screenplay for and starred in the original "Rocky," earned an Oscar nomination for his role. The film took home multiple Academy Awards, including one for best picture. It was followed by multiple sequels before the series rebooted with Jordan. The first "Creed" hit theaters in 2015 and, after much critical and commercial success, spawned a sequel in 2018. "Creed III" is due out next year.
• Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape, an official said Friday. A British-U.S. citizen who previously was banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, Tate was detained late Thursday along with his brother Tristan near Bucharest. Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania's organized crime agency, said four suspects in the case, including two Romanians, will be held for 30 days during an investigation after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours. The agency said the four were arrested on charges of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape. It said the British citizens recruited women who were subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion," sexually exploited by group members and forced to perform pornographic acts intended to reap "important financial benefits." Photographs published by Romanian media outlets appeared to show Tate being led away in handcuffs by masked law enforcement officers late Thursday. On Friday, Tate, who is known to express various conspiratorial views, tweeted that "The Matrix sent their agents," without elaborating. Tate also was embroiled this week in a war of words with 19-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg after he tweeted a picture of himself standing next to a Bugatti and bragged that he owned 33 cars.
Michael B. Jordan arrives at the 5th annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
In this grab taken from video released by Observator Antena 1, Social Media personality Andrew Tate is led away by police, in the Ilfov area, north of Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. (Observator Antena 1 via AP)