Passing the torch: Stallone hands Rocky franchise to Michael B Jordan

Hollywood has a wealth of established hits in its archives, and every now and then, a movie studio will take one out and revive it.

But getting a fresh face to replace an ageing one doesn't always guarantee success.

Yet, if the passing of the torch is handled well, the movie's legacy is preserved.

Sylvester Stallone is doing just that with Creed.

Opening here tomorrow (Nov 26), the sports drama sees old guard Stallone handing over the reins of his almost 40-year legacy to rising star Michael B Jordan, who will take over the boxing gloves and attempt to reboot the much-loved Rocky series for a new generation.

So is the future bright for Creed and other successors such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

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CREED (OPENING NOV 26)

THE OLD

We first meet the titular Italian Stallion in Rocky (1976), a small-time boxer from Philadelphia who gets a surprise shot at fighting for the title alongside heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).

Although Apollo wins the match, Rocky becomes the people's favourite, prompting Apollo to demand a re-match (Rocky II, 1979), which ends in a knockout win for Rocky.

In Rocky III (1982), the two men go from rivals to best friends, with Apollo becoming Rocky's trainer. Rocky IV (1985) sees Apollo getting killed in the ring by Russian boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).

THE NEW

Adonis Johnson Creed (Jordan) is Apollo's illegitimate son, who yearns to be a champion boxer like his dad but is burdened by the weight of Apollo's legacy. He convinces a retired Rocky to be his trainer, and gets a surprise shot at the title.

THE FUTURE

Rocky's evergreen underdog theme always sits well with moviegoers, and Creed has already garnered positive reviews from US critics, largely because of the chemistry between Stallone and Jordan and director Ryan Coogler's reverence for the source material.

We can see a possible match-up between Creed and a Chinese boxer. China's Forbidden City will be the perfect place for Creed to train at, and the popular tourist destination also has iconic steps like those of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which are now synonymous with Rocky films.

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TRON: LEGACY (2010)

THE OLD

Sci-fi flick Tron (1982) stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer who is trapped in the game he is creating. His only chance of escape is with the help of security programme Tron (Bruce Boxleitner).

THE NEW

The sequel sees Flynn's son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) getting sucked into the same cyberspace that trapped his father. Sam befriends butt-kicking humanoid Quorra (Olivia Wilde), and together they try to rescue the elder Flynn (Bridges) and escape.

THE FUTURE

Tron was ground-breaking back in the day, drawing a huge cult following and becoming a big influence on pop culture. The sequel was a massive hit, making over US$400 million (S$567 million) worldwide.

The third instalment was to be directed again by Joseph Kosinski and feature the return of Wilde and Hedlund, but it was announced in May that Disney has scrapped all plans despite prep work already being done.

There may still be hope for Tron fans, considering Tron: Legacy took 28 years to materialise. But they need a more charismatic lead. Hedlund sorely lacks presence.

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INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008)

THE OLD

Harrison Ford's iconic fedora-wearing, whip-cracking archaeologist Indiana Jones first mesmerised movie-goers in adventure flick Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) and its sequels Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989).

All the plots revolve around Indy trying to save lost artefacts from the Nazis or evil cult members.

THE NEW

Set 19 years after The Last Crusade, Indy finds himself a sidekick named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who turns out to be his son Henry Jones III. Together, they face off against Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who is after a rare crystal skull.

THE FUTURE

It has been confirmed that there will be another Indy adventure, but we can safely say it'll be without LaBeouf, who burnt his bridges with director Steven Spielberg and Ford after his disparaging comments about the movie, which prompted Ford to infamously call his young co-star a "f***ing idiot".

We hope the rumours that Chris Pratt may play Indy prove to be true. Not only does the star of Guardians Of The Galaxy and Jurassic World have the Midas touch now, he possesses a similar wry sense of humour.

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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (OPENING DEC 17)

THE OLD

Set in a galaxy far, far away, this epic space saga follows the adventures of Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker (first played by Jake Lloyd, then Hayden Christensen) who embraces the dark side to become the villainous Darth Vader (Episodes I to III, 1999, 2002, 2005). He later engages in a war with rebels, led by his children Luke (Mark Hamill) and Leia (Carrie Fisher), who seek to overthrow his dominion (Episodes IV to VI, 1977, 1980, 1983).

THE NEW

The Force Awakens' plot is heavily shrouded. All we know is that it is directed by JJ Abrams and led by new characters Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley), who seem to be fighting new baddie Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Fisher's Leia are back too. And is Rey, the first female protagonist in the franchise's four-decade history, their daughter?

Though the newbies are largely well-received by fans, Ridley and Boyega have also attracted comments from detractors who have complained about the film having a black man and a woman as leads, the actors told Entertainment Weekly.

"We've been having a continuous struggle with idiots, and now we should just force them to understand... just force people to see this is the new world," said Boyega, 23.

"There are loads of people of different shades and backgrounds. Get used to it."

THE FUTURE

Spanning over 28 years and six episodes, there's no doubt that the Force will be strong with this latest one. It also doesn't matter if it bombs, as two more sequels are already in production. Only the directors - Rian Johnson for Episode VIII and Colin Trevorrow for Episode IX - have been confirmed.

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TERMINATOR GENISYS (2015)

THE OLD

Director James Cameron kick-started his Terminator franchise in 1984 with The Terminator, which saw Cyborg T-100 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) being sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) so that she would not give birth to her son John, who, in the future, is the leader of the war against the machines.

In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), the T-100 becomes a good guy who helps Sarah in her quest to protect her teenage son John (Edward Furlong). Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003) and Terminator Salvation (2009) take the franchise in different directions, not only in the storyline but also without Schwarzenegger in the latter picture.

THE NEW

Terminator Genisys reboots the ailing series with the welcome return of Schwarzenegger's T-100.

However, the time travel story gets even more convoluted with the new and young Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) knowing all about her so-called turbulent future, thanks to the T-100 who has become her mentor. The new villain turns out to be her son from the future, John (Jason Clarke).

It's good that the Terminator lore continues with Clarke as the central figure. Even though the film had "new and young" versions of T-100 made in Schwarzenegger's glorious 80s image, the man is showing his age.

THE FUTURE

There were rumours that a sequel was put on hold after Genisys' disappointing performance (US$89.8 million) at the US box office.

However, the film producers clarified to The Wrap last month that the time-travelling cyborgs will be back but only after a "readjustment".