"I Play Rocky" Sets Release Date

Amazon MGM has scheduled “I Play Rocky” for a November 20 release following a limited screening on November 13.

The premiere comes just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times for moviegoing. The 50th anniversary of the original Oscar-winning boxing drama is on November 21.

The film is a retelling of the creation of “Rocky” that doubles as a Sylvester Stallone biopic.

Anthony Ippolito headlines as a young Stallone, starring alongside Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who played Rocky’s arch rival Apollo Creed, as well as AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P.J. Byrne, Tracy Letts, and Jay Duplass.

Before the release of “Rocky,” Stallone was far from the stonefaced blockbuster machine he eventually bulked into.

At 29, Stallone was a struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment.

The “Rocky” script, which he authored, was his ticket to the big time, and he refused to sell the rights unless he was cast in the lead. He turned down six-figure deals for the film and eventually funded production for less than $1 million.

The film became an underdog phenomenon following its 1976 release, grossing over $200 million at the worldwide box office and winning best picture at the 1977 Academy Awards.

“Green Book” director Peter Farrelly helms “I Play Rocky” from a screenplay by Peter Gamble. Farrelly also serves as producer alongside former Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich and Christian Baha.

FilmNation Entertainment handled production services and international sales.

“When I first read Peter Gamble’s energetic and poignant script, I knew it captured something very special,” Baha said upon the film’s 2024 reveal. “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.”