I Play Rocky
Short description
Upcoming drama and history film I Play Rocky tells the true story of Sylvester Stallone's struggle to launch his career. A struggling actor with speech and facial paralysis writes a screenplay about an underdog, which a major studio wishes to purchase. Despite receiving an offer of life-changing money, the writer refuses to sell the script unless he is cast in the lead role of Rocky Balboa. He continues to work for very little pay, betting on himself against constant rejection to ensure he can star in the production.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, this is the 17th of 18 films he has directed, following Ricky Stanicky and preceding Balls Up. The screenplay was written by Peter Gamble, and the film was produced by Toby Emmerich, Peter Farrelly, and Christian Baha. The cast features Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone, with AnnaSophia Robb, Stephan James, Matt Dillon, P.J. Byrne, and Jay Duplass in supporting roles. A joint production between Australia and the United States, the movie was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Amazon MGM Studios, FilmNation Entertainment, and Eden Rock Media. The final production features a credited crew of 69 and has a runtime of 128 minutes.
What's left behind the scenes
- When Anthony Ippolito learned about the film, he decided to take the initiative to land the role of Sylvester Stallone, for which other actors were already competing. Anthony did not know the contents of the script, so he set up a small scene in his grandmother's basement that captured the spirit of the movie 'Rocky' and recorded a demo tape. Although auditions were not yet being held at the time, this idea helped Ippolito pass the selection process.
- While preparing for the film, Anthony Ippolito ordered a copy of one of Sylvester Stallone's early movies, 'No Place to Hide'. Obtaining a copy proved difficult—the film had to be ordered from Japan, and the package took two months to arrive.
- Anthony Ippolito gained 13 kilograms for his role as Sylvester Stallone.
- The scene in which Rocky runs up the stairs in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art was filmed using a Steadicam. This same system was used when filming the scene for the original movie, with Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam, serving as the cinematographer.
- The scenes at Rocky's house were filmed in the same house used in the original movie, although renovations had to be done inside for the shoot. The building used for Mickey's gym in Philadelphia had not survived to the present day, so the filmmakers found a similar facade in New Jersey.
- Filming took place in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York from October 15 to December 25, 2025.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
