Michael B. Jordan knew he was the right director for Creed III

Michael B. Jordan felt that it was a "natural progression" to direct 'Creed III'.

The 36-year-old star makes his directorial debut in the latest 'Rocky' spin-off film and thinks that it was the appropriate move to helm the flick after almost a decade of playing Adonis Creed.

Speaking to the Metro newspaper, Michael said: "It's a story I know very well. It's a character that I know very well. Playing this guy for nine years, it was a natural progression.

"I think I was at the right age, the right time, the right experience, to step behind the camera and have something to say. I didn't feel that anybody else could tell the story like me, so I just decided to do it."

The movie tells the story of Adonis being taken away from enjoying quality time with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their daughter to fight his old friend Damian 'Dame' Anderson (Jonathan Majors) – a former boxing prodigy who has just been released from prison – and Michael wanted the picture to combine both past and present for his alter ego.

He explained: "I wanted it to feel like an origin story and a sequel all in one.

"To do that we had to go back to the past and find out about those transformative years of Adonis."

Michael admits that it felt authentic when he stepped into the ring with Majors and was determined to pour his heart into Adonis.

The 'Fruitvale Station' star said: "It definitely felt pretty real, man, with the music and the atmosphere and the intensity. Jonathan is a very serious actor. When we were throwing punches and swinging, we were in the middle of a fight. It was intense and it felt like fight night every night."

Jordan added: "The things that Adonis is going through, I've gone through in my own different ways.

"Acting is bringing a piece of you and pouring it into the character. This film is taking a piece of me (as director) and pouring it into the film."