'I Play Rocky' trailer: Sylvester Stallone's biopic is gripping, inspiring
What's the story
The first trailer for I Play Rocky has been released, giving viewers a peek into director Peter Farrelly's film about a young Sylvester Stallone's battle to star in his own screenplay. The electrifying footage introduces Anthony Ippolito as an unknown aspiring actor-filmmaker who wrote a screenplay about a small-time boxer getting his big break and believed only he should play the lead character. History shows he fulfilled the dream. But the journey wasn't easy. The film releases on November 6.
Hollywood skepticism
Protagonist's struggle to get a big break
The trailer captures the sense of a road to rejection that reflects Stallone's journey as he continues to be turned down by Hollywood's gatekeepers, who doubt both his screenplay and his acting abilities to lead a cast.
"I wanna star in this movie I'm writing, but all I'm getting is no after no. Looks like it's not gonna fly now," the protagonist laments, embodying the frustration of an artist fighting industry skepticism.
Underdog story
Film's premise and Hollywood history behind it
It chronicles how an up-and-coming actor had to write an underdog tale to launch his acting career. Even though studios liked the script, they didn't want to cast a newcomer.
As we know, Stallone ultimately played the Italian Stallion in Rocky and received Oscar nominations for both Best Actor and Original Screenplay.
Rocky garnered 10 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture, defeating acclaimed films like Network, All the President's Men, Taxi Driver, and Bound for Glory.
Cast details
Meet the cast and crew of the film
Ippolito, known for his portrayal of Al Pacino in Paramount+'s The Offer, bears an uncanny resemblance to Stallone and leads the film as the determined young creator.
The supporting cast includes Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Stephan James, and Kiki Seto.
Peter Gamble wrote the screenplay for the production, which was produced by Christian Baha, Toby Emmerich, Paul Currie, and Michele Weiss along with Farrelly himself.
Film screenings
The film has already generated buzz in Hollywood
The first footage of I Play Rocky debuted for exhibitors at a major film industry convention in April.
The production subsequently screened footage at a private buyers event during a prestigious European film festival, where attendees responded enthusiastically to what they witnessed.
"The room really took to what they saw," according to reports of the screening.