I Play Rocky, the new film about how Sylvester Stallone fought to make the original Rocky, opened in select theaters in the United States on Friday, November 6, 2026. Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Anthony Ippolito as a young Stallone, the film tells the true story of an unknown actor who refused to sell the script for Rocky unless he was allowed to star in it. It expands nationwide on November 20, 2026, just as the original Rocky marks its 50th anniversary.
The film has earned an 88 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and early reviews praise Ippolito’s performance and the old-fashioned charm of the story, even while some critics say the film plays it safe. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2026, and it arrives in theaters with the full backing of Amazon MGM Studios.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | I Play Rocky |
| Director | Peter Farrelly |
| Writer | Peter Gamble |
| Stars | Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone |
| Also starring | AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, Toby Kebbell, P. J. Byrne, Stephan James, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass |
| Studio | Amazon MGM Studios |
| Limited release | November 6, 2026, select theaters |
| Nationwide release | November 20, 2026 |
| Runtime | 127 minutes, 2 hours 8 minutes |
| Rating | PG-13, for language, brief sexual references and partial nudity |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 88 percent |
| Festival premiere | Toronto International Film Festival, September 12, 2026 |
| True story | How Stallone wrote Rocky and refused to sell it unless he starred |
What I Play Rocky Is About
The film follows a young Sylvester Stallone at the lowest point of his life. He is broke, facing constant rejection, and struggling with a speech problem caused by a facial nerve injury from birth. He has written a script about a small-time Philadelphia boxer named Rocky Balboa who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the heavyweight title. Producers want to buy it. They offer him real money for it. There is only one problem. They do not want him in it.
Stallone refuses. He says he will not sell the script unless he plays Rocky himself. The title of the film comes from that refusal. “I play Rocky” was his answer, repeated again and again, to every producer who offered to buy the script and cast a real star in the lead role. It was a gamble that could have cost him everything. If he had held out too long, the film might never have been made at all.
The story tracks the fight behind the fight. Stallone is destitute in a cold New York City, sleeping rough and getting turned down at every audition, while holding on to a script that everyone agrees is good and nobody wants him to star in. The producers who eventually backed the film, Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, took a real financial risk to make it, mortgaging their own homes to get Rocky made.
The film is a biographical drama, not a documentary, but the bones of the story are true. Stallone really did write Rocky in a matter of days. He really did refuse to sell it without the lead role. And the 1976 film really did become one of the great American movies, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and turning Stallone into a star overnight.
The Cast
Anthony Ippolito plays Sylvester Stallone, and the role is the biggest of his career so far. Ippolito is best known for The Offer, the series about the making of The Godfather, and critics have singled out his performance as the best thing in the film. He captures Stallone’s mumble, his hunger, and his stubbornness without turning the part into an impression.
The supporting cast is stacked with familiar names. AnnaSophia Robb plays a key role alongside Ippolito. Matt Dillon and Tracy Letts bring veteran weight to the film. Toby Kebbell plays producer Robert Chartoff, and P. J. Byrne plays his partner Irwin Winkler, the two men who bet their homes on the movie. Stephan James steps into the ring as Carl Weathers, the actor who played heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in the original Rocky. Jay Duplass plays director John G. Avildsen, the man who directed the 1976 film.
The film was directed by Peter Farrelly, the Oscar winner behind Green Book, and written by Peter Gamble. It was produced by Toby Emmerich, Christian Baha, and Michele Weiss, and released by Amazon MGM Studios through Baha Productions and Fireside Films.
For more on Stallone, read our report on Sylvester Stallone revealing what ended the Arnold Schwarzenegger feud.
The Reviews So Far
The early verdict is warm. The film holds an 88 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and most reviews agree that Ippolito is excellent and the story is hard not to like. The criticism, where it exists, is that the film is a conventional biopic that does not take many risks. One review called it inspiring but said it “pulls its punches,” praising the strong performances while noting that the film sticks to a familiar rise-from-nothing formula.
That may be the point. I Play Rocky is not trying to reinvent the biopic. It is trying to tell a great true story simply and well, and on that measure it works. The film gives a younger generation the chance to learn how Rocky came to exist, and it gives older audiences a dose of nostalgia for a movie they grew up with.
The film was screened at the Nashville Film Festival and the San Diego International Film Festival before its release, and festival audiences responded warmly. The Moviefone interview with Farrelly and AnnaSophia Robb, published ahead of the release, stressed the same theme: this is a story about belief, about a man who was told no a hundred times and kept saying yes to himself.
Rocky Turns 50
The timing of the release is no accident. Rocky premiered in November 1976, which means the original film turns 50 this month. On November 5, 2026, the day before I Play Rocky opened, Stallone himself celebrated the anniversary at a one-night event at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre, alongside composer Bill Conti, the man who wrote the film’s famous score.
Ippolito and Farrelly joined the celebration, bringing the evening around to the new film about the fight Stallone had to win before Rocky Balboa could even step into the ring. The event was a reminder of how far the story has travelled. Fifty years ago, Stallone was an unknown actor fighting to play a part he had written for himself. Now there is a film about that fight, starring another actor playing him, and Stallone is there to celebrate it.
One wrinkle is that Stallone himself is not involved in the new film. He has said publicly on social media that he had nothing to do with the project. That has not stopped the film from finding its audience, and the anniversary timing has given it a natural moment to arrive.
Also in theaters this month: our November 2026 movies guide, and KJ Apa playing Jimmy Stewart in Jimmy.
When and Where to Watch
I Play Rocky opened in select theaters on November 6, 2026, and it expands nationwide on November 20, 2026. The film runs 127 minutes and is rated PG-13 for language throughout, brief sexual references, and partial nudity. The limited release was moved up by a week from its original November 13 date, a sign that Amazon MGM wanted the film in theaters for the anniversary weekend.
If the film is not yet playing near you, the nationwide expansion on November 20 is the date to remember. That is when it goes wide across the United States, and it is the weekend the studio is betting on for the film’s biggest audience.
FAQs
When did I Play Rocky come out?
I Play Rocky opened in select theaters in the United States on November 6, 2026. It expands nationwide on November 20, 2026.
Who plays Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky?
Anthony Ippolito plays a young Sylvester Stallone. The film also stars AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, Toby Kebbell, P. J. Byrne, Stephan James as Carl Weathers, Tracy Letts, and Jay Duplass as director John G. Avildsen.
Is I Play Rocky a true story?
Yes. The film tells the true story of how Stallone wrote the script for Rocky in 1976 and refused to sell it unless he was cast as Rocky Balboa. Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff eventually backed the film and mortgaged their homes to make it.
What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for I Play Rocky?
The film holds an 88 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews praise Anthony Ippolito’s performance and the inspirational true story.
Sources
- Moviefone, I Play Rocky Interview: Peter Farrelly and AnnaSophia Robb: https://www.moviefone.com/news/i-play-rocky-interview-peter-farrelly-and-annasophia-robb/
- CBR, I Play Rocky Review: Sylvester Stallone’s Inspiring Biopic Pulls Its Punches: https://www.cbr.com/i-play-rocky-review/
- Wikipedia, I Play Rocky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Play_Rocky
- Haute Living, Sylvester Stallone Celebrates Rocky’s 50th Anniversary in Brooklyn: https://hauteliving.com/2026/11/sylvester-stallone-rocky-50th-anniversary-kings-theatre-i-play-rocky/801793/
Final Thoughts
I Play Rocky works because the story underneath it is so good. A broke actor writes a script in a few days, turns down real money because the buyers will not let him star in it, and then watches the film become a classic that is still celebrated 50 years later. You could not invent a better Hollywood story, and the film does not need to. It just has to tell it straight.
Anthony Ippolito gives the film its heart, and the 88 percent Rotten Tomatoes score says audiences and critics are responding. The film is in select theaters now and goes nationwide on November 20, right in the middle of Rocky’s 50th anniversary month. For anyone who loves the original, or anyone who has ever been told no and kept going anyway, it is an easy film to recommend.
