“I Play Rocky” Set to Take Audiences Behind the Making of an Underdog Classic
What if the story behind Rocky was itself a Rocky story? The new trailer for I Play Rocky dropped today, giving audiences a first look at the upcoming film about the incredible true story of how Sylvester Stallone fought to make—and star in—the movie that would ultimately change his life and Hollywood history.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, I Play Rocky stars Anthony Ippolito as a young Stallone, with the film following the struggling actor and writer as he attempts to sell his screenplay about an unlikely Philadelphia boxer. The problem? Hollywood was interested in the script, but not necessarily in Stallone playing the lead.
Rather than walk away from the role he had written for himself, Stallone held his ground and bet everything on his belief that he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. The result was the 1976 classic Rocky—a film that became a global phenomenon and one of the most enduring underdog stories in cinema.
In a very meta twist, I Play Rocky is essentially the underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.
The film’s ensemble cast includes Matt Dillon as Stallone’s father, Frank Stallone Sr., and AnnaSophia Robb as Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack. Stephan James takes on the role of Carl Weathers, who famously played Apollo Creed in Rocky, while Jay Duplass portrays director John G. Avildsen. P.J. Byrne and Toby Kebbell play producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, respectively. The cast also includes Tracy Letts, Kiki Seto, and more.
The newly released trailer leans into the pressure and uncertainty surrounding Stallone’s journey, showing an actor repeatedly told no while refusing to give up on the role he believed was his. It’s a story audiences may know the ending to, but the road to getting there is the part I Play Rocky is bringing to the big screen.
And the stakes were very real. The original Rocky went on to become a massive box office success and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while Stallone received Oscar nominations for both his acting and screenplay. The film ultimately launched one of cinema’s most successful sports franchises.
For Ippolito, the role is also an intriguing piece of casting. The actor previously portrayed Al Pacino in The Offer, another project centered on the behind-the-scenes story of a legendary Hollywood production.
I Play Rocky is scheduled to arrive in theaters this November, with a limited theatrical release beginning November 13 and a wider release set for November 20.
Watch the trailer above and get ready for the story behind the story!
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