Phylicia Rashad, whose name was back in the media for statements on Bill Cosby, has scored a big role in Creed, the Rocky spin-off Sylvester Stallone is working on with Michael B. Jordan and Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler.
The casting was first revealed by Roger Friedman on Showbiz 411 in a post about the reaction to Rashad’s comments to Friedman earlier this week.
The former Cosby Show star and Tony winner for the 2004 production of A Raisin in the Sun will play Apollo Creed’s widow and the grandmother of Jordan's character. Jordan is starring as the grandson of Rocky Balboa’s old rival, who wants to be a boxer. Stallone is returning to play Rocky, who will train Jordan.
According to TheWrap, original Rocky producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff are producing with Stallone and Kevin King.
Rashad defended Cosby, who is facing accusations of sexual assault from over 20 women, but she later said she was misquoted. Friedman later wrote that the “Forget these women” quote was just misunderstood, since she was really just talking about Cosby’s legacy being destroyed.
“My message is, what happens to a nation in which people knowingly and willfully disavow the tenets that describe the nation?” Rashad told ABC News. “This is not about the women. This is about something else. This is about the obliteration of a legacy."
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com