After playing Al Pacino in The offerAnthony Ippolito steps into Sylvester Stallone’s shoes to tell the unlikely story behind one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories.
Amazon MGM Studios presented the first trailer for I play rocky on Wednesday, July 15, giving fans a look at the film that chronicles Stallone’s fight to bring back the 1976 classic. Rocky to the big screen.
Directed by Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly, the biopic follows a young Stallone who refuses to give up on the script he believes will change his life. According to the film’s official synopsis, I play rocky “It’s an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unwavering belief that not only was he meant to write Rocky, he was meant to be Rocky Balboa.”
In the trailer, Stallone (Ippolito) is seen presenting his script for Rocky, which immediately wins over the executives. But when they start talking about potential actors who could play Rocky, including Clint Eastwood, Stallone says, “Hey, guys. I play Rocky.”
“When told ‘no’ at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, maintaining the lead against seemingly impossible odds,” the synopsis continues. “The result is the definitive underdog story behind the definitive underdog movie.”
AnnaSophia Robb plays Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack, while Stephan James plays Carl Weathers, the late actor who played Apollo Creed. The cast also includes Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., alongside Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Kiki Seto and PJ Byrne.
I play rocky hits theaters this November.
Is Sylvester Stallone involved in ‘I Play Rocky’?
Sylvester Stallone is not involved in I play rockydespite expressing interest. In a September 2025 interview with The PlaylistThe Oscar-nominated actor said he was “surprised” by the film’s announcement.
“I was surprised to read [about] he. I have nothing to do with that. Since I lived it, I thought I could participate and give you an idea,” Stallone, 79, said at the time.
Meanwhile, the action star is preparing to publish his memoirs. The stepson September 29.
