Few Hollywood origin stories mirror the movie they produced as perfectly as Sylvester Stallone’s battle to get “Rocky” made. Amazon MGM Studios has released the first trailer for “I Play Rocky,” a new drama about the unknown actor who refused to sell his screenplay unless he could also play Rocky Balboa.
READ MORE: 53 Must-See Films To Watch Summer 2026
Anthony Ippolito stars as Stallone, whose belief in himself remains unshaken even as producers, studios, and practically everyone else tell him no. Instead of accepting a potentially life-changing payday and allowing an established star to take the lead, Stallone holds his ground, betting everything on the conviction that he was born to play the Italian Stallion.
That gamble turned “Rocky” into the highest-grossing film of 1976 and an Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. Nearly 50 years later, Stallone’s struggle to make the movie has become an underdog story almost as famous as the one he put on screen.
Ippolito has already stepped into the shoes of one 1970s acting legend, portraying Al Pacino in “The Offer,” Paramount+’s series about the turbulent production of “The Godfather.” In another fitting parallel to Stallone’s story, Ippolito reportedly landed this role after sending the producers an unsolicited audition tape when he learned the project was in development.
Peter Farrelly, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “Green Book,” directs from a screenplay by Peter Gamble. The supporting cast includes Matt Dillon as Stallone’s father, Frank Stallone Sr.; AnnaSophia Robb as Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack; Stephan James as Carl Weathers; P.J. Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler; Toby Kebbell as producer Robert Chartoff; and Jay Duplass as “Rocky” director John G. Avildsen. Tracy Letts, Kiki Seto, Robert Morgan, Saul Stein, Trevor St. John, Erik Palladino, and Rob Demery also star.
“I Play Rocky” opens in select theaters on November 6. Watch the trailer below.
Edward Davis is a senior film journalist and longtime contributor to The Playlist. Davis covers the full breadth of cinema — from major studio releases to independent and international film.
