‘I Play Rocky’ finally gets Thanksgiving release as Sylvester Stallone underdog story returns 50 years later
Almost five decades ago, filmgoers were introduced to the inspiring character of Rocky Balboa, played to perfection by the then relatively unknown twenty-nine-year-old actor Sylvester Stallone. The road to the film's success was not at all easy, beset with difficulty after difficulty. However, Stallone persisted against all odds, and his efforts eventually led to massive success. As the 50th anniversary of 'Rocky' edges nearer, the latest movie in the franchise, 'I Play Rocky', has been officially granted the sought-after Thanksgiving release window.
As reported by ScreenRant, 'I Play Rocky' serves as both the latest film in the franchise and a Stallone biopic. The film's plot dramatizes the true Hollywood tale that is now the stuff of legend. Anthony Ippolito plays young Stallone, fully immersing himself in the role of the struggling actor who wrote his own screenplay for 'Rocky'. The rest of the cast, as confirmed by Variety magazine, includes Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who portrayed Apollo Creed, Balboa's rival-turned-friend. Matt Dillon will be seen as Frank Stallone Jr., Stallone's father.
The character of Talia Shire, who played Rocky's on-screen girlfriend, will be played by Kiki Seto. AnnaSophia Robb will be seen as Stallone's girlfriend, Sasha Czack; P.J. Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler; Jay Duplass as Rocky's director, John G. Avildsen; and Toby Kebbell as producer Robert Chartoff. Amazon MGM Studios shared that 'I Play Rocky' will have a limited theatrical debut on November 13, followed by a wider theatrical release on November 20.
Director Peter Farrelly, of 'Green Book' fame, has directed the upcoming biopic based on a screenplay written by Peter Gamble, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Farrelly himself is co-producing the movie in association with Christian Baha and Toby Emmerich. FilmNation Entertainment is supervising production services, international sales, and distribution. When the film's title was first revealed back in 2024, Baha had commented, "When I first read Peter Gamble’s energetic and poignant script, I knew it captured something very special. The story of ‘I Play Rocky’ is as unique as Sylvester Stallone himself, a seeming Everyman with an undeniable gift who needs to share it with the world and refuses to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
In an interesting coincidence, the endearing underdog story of 'Rocky' mirrored the real-life trials and tribulations of Stallone himself. Battling a semi-paralyzed face and a speech impediment, Stallone penned the script of 'Rocky' to star in the film as the lead. He turned down several lucrative offers that would have bought the script but wouldn't have allowed him to star as the lead. After countless rejections, he landed a deal that gave him a meagre $1 million budget for the film's production. 'Rocky' eventually grossed over $200 million worldwide.
