I Play Rocky trailer shows Anthony Ippolito as the stubborn unknown Stallone who refused to sell out

The first trailer for 'I Play Rocky' has arrived, offering a look at Anthony Ippolito's portrayal of a young Sylvester Stallone and the uphill battle to make a film that would define a genre. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the Amazon MGM Studios release dramatises the months before 'Rocky' became a cultural phenomenon.

The story behind the underdog

'I Play Rocky' is not a full-life biopic. It homes in on a narrow, desperate window in the mid-1970s when Stallone was an unknown 29-year-old actor with a partially paralysed face and a speech pattern described in the trailer as sounding like he had "rocks in your mouth." The screenplay, which Stallone wrote in less than four days according to IndieWire, attracted interest from studios willing to buy it immediately, on one condition: a bankable star would play the lead. Stallone refused. He turned down offers worth several hundred thousand dollars, working odd jobs while holding the line, a stance many producers considered professionally suicidal.

Told 'no' at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

Casting and look

Anthony Ippolito's resemblance to the young Stallone anchors the trailer. Online reactions noted that his voice and appearance were "astonishing," with one comment quoted by 20 minutos calling the imitation "perfect." Ippolito previously played Al Pacino in the Paramount+ miniseries 'The Offer,' another behind-the-scenes story of a 1970s classic, 'The Godfather.' Vulture describes the actor as having become "Hollywood's go-to for portraying young, Italian, breakout movie stars in '70s films." The supporting cast rounds out the period with Matt Dillon as Stallone's father Frank Sr., AnnaSophia Robb as his then-wife Sasha Czack, Stephan James as Carl Weathers, and Jay Duplass as 'Rocky' director John G. Avildsen.

Legacy of the original

'Rocky' was made for under $1 million, according to Variety, and became the highest-grossing film of 1976. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three: Best Picture, Best Director for John G. Avildsen, and Best Film Editing.

That Best Picture win came in a field that included 'Taxi Driver,' 'Network,' and 'All the President's Men.' Stallone himself was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, though he lost to Paddy Chayefsky for 'Network.' The franchise spawned five direct sequels and three 'Creed' spin-offs, with a fourth in development.

It ain't about how hard you hit -- it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Director and tone

Peter Farrelly directs from a script by Peter Gamble. Farrelly is best known for comedies made with his brother Bobby ('Dumb & Dumber,' 'There's Something About Mary') and for the drama 'Green Book,' which won both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Vulture notes the film has a "prestige tint" and a November release that suggests an awards-season play. Several outlets point out that Stallone is not officially involved in the production, though IndieWire notes he had expressed some past interest in joining.

Release details

'I Play Rocky' opens in select US cinemas on Friday, 6 November 2026, before a wider domestic rollout later that month. RTE reports the release is timed for the 50th anniversary of the original 'Rocky,' which premiered in November 1976. French audiences will see the film on 23 December, according to BFMTV. The trailer is currently available in its original English version, with localised versions expected before the theatrical run.