Anthony Ippolito Becomes Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky

I Play Rocky recreates Stallone’s rise to Hollywood fame.

Amazon MGM Studios has revealed the trailer for I PLAY ROCKY, a new biographical drama starring Anthony Ippolito as a young Sylvester Stallone.

The film comes from Academy Award-winning director Peter Farrelly. It tells the incredible true story behind the creation of ROCKY and the unknown actor who refused to surrender his dream.

I PLAY ROCKY will open in select theaters on November 6. It will expand to theaters everywhere on November 20.

Anthony Ippolito Plays a Young Sylvester Stallone

I PLAY ROCKY follows Stallone before he became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Stallone was an unknown actor when he wrote the screenplay for ROCKY. However, he did not simply want to sell the script. He believed he was the only person who could play Rocky Balboa.

Studios and producers saw potential in the screenplay but wanted an established actor in the leading role. Stallone continued to hold his ground despite facing rejection and enormous financial pressure.

The upcoming film dramatizes how he bet everything on himself. He refused to give up the character that he created, even when accepting another offer could have immediately changed his financial situation.

That struggle became the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

Anthony Ippolito previously portrayed a young Al Pacino in the Paramount+ series THE OFFER, which explored the difficult production of THE GODFATHER. His path to I PLAY ROCKY also carried its own fitting underdog element. The actor reportedly submitted an unsolicited audition tape after learning about the project, and the move helped him secure the role.

How I Play Rocky Came Together

I PLAY ROCKY was first announced in May 2024. Peter Farrelly joined the project as director, while former Warner Bros. Pictures chairman Toby Emmerich signed on as a producer.

Peter Gamble wrote the screenplay. The project was introduced to buyers during the 2024 Cannes Film Market, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic sales and FilmNation Entertainment overseeing international sales.

Amazon MGM Studios later boarded the film for its domestic theatrical release. Ippolito was announced as Stallone in August 2025, followed by the addition of an ensemble cast portraying the people involved in Stallone’s life and the making of ROCKY.

Peter Farrelly is best known for directing films including GREEN BOOK, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, DUMB AND DUMBER, KINGPIN, and THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER.

Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK became an Academy Awards success story of its own. The film won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.

The Cast Behind the Rocky Story

Ippolito leads a cast that includes Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Stephan James, and Kiki Seto.

Several cast members will portray important figures from the original production.

Stephan James plays Carl Weathers, who became an essential part of the franchise as Apollo Creed. P.J. Byrne portrays producer Irwin Winkler, while Toby Kebbell plays producer Robert Chartoff.

Jay Duplass portrays ROCKY director John G. Avildsen. Kiki Seto plays Talia Shire, who starred opposite Stallone as Adrian. AnnaSophia Robb portrays Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack, while Matt Dillon plays his father, Frank Stallone Sr.

Rocky Became a Hollywood Knockout

ROCKY opened in theaters in 1976 and transformed Stallone into a global star.

The story follows Rocky Balboa, a struggling Philadelphia boxer who receives an unlikely opportunity to fight heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. While the championship bout drives the movie, its lasting appeal comes from Rocky’s desire to prove that he belongs in the ring.

The movie received 10 Academy Award nominations. It won Best Picture, Best Director for John G. Avildsen, and Best Film Editing for Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad.

Stallone also became only the third person in Academy Awards history to receive acting and screenwriting nominations during the same year. Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles were the only previous filmmakers to accomplish that achievement.

ROCKY eventually became the foundation of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable franchises.

Stallone returned for ROCKY II, ROCKY III, ROCKY IV, ROCKY V, and ROCKY BALBOA. The story later continued through Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed in CREED, CREED II, and CREED III.

The franchise introduced unforgettable characters such as Adrian, Mickey Goldmill, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, and Apollo Creed. It also produced some of the most recognizable training sequences, musical themes, and sports movie moments in cinema history.

In 2006, the Library of Congress selected ROCKY for preservation in the National Film Registry because of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

I Play Rocky Arrives During the Original Film’s Anniversary

The release of I PLAY ROCKY arrives as the original movie celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Amazon, MGM Studios, Park Circus, and Fathom Entertainment previously announced ROCKY 50, a restored 4K presentation of the original film. The anniversary event will return Stallone’s classic to theaters from November 7 through November 11.

ROCKY 50 will also include an exclusive look at I PLAY ROCKY and an introduction featuring members of the new film’s cast.

Five decades after audiences first watched Rocky Balboa run through Philadelphia and climb the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I PLAY ROCKY will turn the camera toward the man who fought to bring him to the screen.

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