Sylvester Stallone weighs in on 'I Play Rocky'—the biopic about making Rocky
Although he’s not involved in I Play Rocky in any official capacity, Sylvester Stallone has now had his say on the upcoming biopic.
Here we go — an unusual one, this. I Play Rocky is an upcoming biopic all about the chaotic, against-all-odds making of the original 1976 Rocky film, with Sylvester Stallone at the centre, but he’s not actually involved with this new film himself. That said, he’s clearly been keeping an eye on it. Stallone didn’t just quietly tolerate the project: he openly shared the trailer online and offered a bit of encouragement to everyone involved.
Stallone and family weigh in
How does the real Sly feel about someone else playing him in a film about his own rise? Apparently, he’s taking it in good spirits. Here’s what Stallone said after sharing the trailer on his Instagram, giving the cast and crew his blessing:
Every story has a beginning and I’m excited to see this one brought to life. Congratulations to the cast and crew of I Play Rocky. Keep punching.
While that’s comfortably noncommittal — classic Hollywood support but no hint of involvement in production — it’s at least a sign there’s no outrage brewing from Stallone himself. I mean, if someone made a film about your life and career but left you right out of it, you’d at least want to have a look, wouldn’t you?
Meanwhile, Stallone’s brother Frank (himself something of a Rocky figure — if not quite as famous) has also dropped his two pence. Frank admits he got a bit territorial at first, worried about how his brother’s life and the original film would be depicted, but ended up keeping an open mind. To be fair, he hasn’t seen the full film yet, so he’s not passing judgment — but he’s at least intrigued by the idea fifty years after the original. Here’s what Frank had to say about it all:
Since the trailer of I Play Rocky was released, I’ve been getting bombarded with questions and my opinion. At first when I heard about this film I was overprotective of the legacy of my brother and the film. I think the actor portraying my brother is fantastic. But it would be disingenuous of me to make any opinion without yet seeing the film. It’s somewhat of an honor 50 yrs after its release that someone would want to document the history of my brother and the much loved character of Rocky. So think we should all sit back and wait till it’s released to make any judgement. Who knows we hopefully may all be pleasantly surprised!
The cast, the director, and what it’s about
The film itself sounds more interesting than your average biopic — it’s not just slavishly re-enacting scenes from Rocky, but zooming in on the story behind the story. At its heart, the movie follows a then-unknown Stallone who’s not just trying to write Rocky, he’s desperate to convince everyone he’s the only one who can actually play Rocky Balboa — despite every rejection and studio roadblock imaginable.
Anthony Ippolito (The Offer) is stepping into Stallone’s shoes for the lead. Joining him: Matt Dillon takes on Frank Stallone Sr., AnnaSophia Robb is playing Stallone’s first wife Sasha Czack, and you have Stephan James as a young Carl Weathers — one for the real film nerds. The film’s being directed by Peter Farrelly (yes, the same guy who brought us Green Book), with Peter Gamble writing the script.
- Anthony Ippolito — Sylvester Stallone
- Matt Dillon — Frank Stallone Sr.
- AnnaSophia Robb — Sasha Czack
- Stephan James — Carl Weathers
- Director: Peter Farrelly
- Writer: Peter Gamble
Debuting at Toronto
If you’re actually keen to see it as early as possible, I Play Rocky is set for its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, running this year from 10 to 20 September.
The film will open in select cinemas on 6 November and then go wide on 20 November.
After a festival bow, it’ll trickle into select UK and US cinemas from early November, before a proper nationwide release two weeks later. Expect plenty of noise around the time, with everyone having their say on whether this really does justice to Stallone’s underdog story, or just cashes in on nostalgia. Either way, Stallone seems content to sit back and watch — at least for now.