‘I Play Rocky’ Trailer Reveals Sylvester Stallone’s True Story

The film chronicles Stallone’s fight to play Rocky Balboa and arrives as the boxing classic marks its 50th anniversary

Amazon MGM Studios has released the first trailer for I Play Rocky, a film telling the true story behind Sylvester Stallone’s battle to bring Rocky to the screen. The movie will open in limited theaters on November 6 as the boxing classic celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Rather than retelling Rocky Balboa’s rise from club fighter to heavyweight title challenger, I Play Rocky focuses on Stallone’s refusal to sell his screenplay unless he was cast in the lead role. At the time, he was an unknown actor repeatedly turned down by studios that wanted established stars to play the fictional Philadelphia boxer.

Anthony Ippolito portrays Stallone in the film, with director Peter Farrelly bringing the real-life underdog story to the screen.

The film’s synopsis describes it as the true story of “an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky. He was meant to be Rocky Balboa,” detailing how Stallone continued betting on himself despite being told no at every turn.

Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass and Stephan James are among the cast. Ippolito previously portrayed Al Pacino in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer.

The original Rocky, released in 1976 on roughly a $1 million budget, became one of the biggest success stories in Hollywood history. It earned nearly $225 million during its initial theatrical run, won the Academy Award for Best Picture and launched a franchise that has expanded through the Creed films and generated nearly $2 billion at the global box office.

Fans will also have another chance to see the original movie on the big screen this fall, with a newly remastered 4K theatrical re-release planned as part of the film’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Share on Facebook

Post on X