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WATCH: New Trailer for Stallone Biopic ‘I Play Rocky’

WATCH: New Trailer for Stallone Biopic ‘I Play Rocky’

Last updated on: October 22, 2026 at 1:57 pm by DeWayne Hamby

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WATCH: New Trailer for Stallone Biopic ‘I Play Rocky’ 2026-10-22T13:57:16-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Amazon MGM Studios released a new trailer Wednesday for its upcoming Sylvester Stallone biopic “I Play Rocky,” starring Anthony Ippolito and AnnaSophia Robb. The film, centering on the process of creating Stallone’s most enduring character, was written by Peter Gamble and directed by Peter Farrelly.

The film is a true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write “Rocky”—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

The new trailer opens with Ippolito as the young Stallone declaring, “Acting’s what I live and breathe for,” before admitting the harsh reality of his stalled career: “I’m not getting any parts. I’m going to have to write a script for myself.” After finishing the screenplay in three and a half days, he draws an impressed reaction—“There’s something big here.”—only to draw a firm line with the producers. “Here’s the thing,” he says. “I play Rocky.”

Footage intercuts Stallone’s personal struggles and physical preparation with studio resistance, including scenes of a broken hand, a confession from Carl Weathers that he had to lie about his boxing ability and executives mortgaging their houses to keep the project alive. In one of the trailer’s most pointed exchanges, Ippolito’s Stallone explains his refusal to step aside: “It’s about going the distance. Having a belief in yourself. If I’m not willing to live up to what I wrote, then what’s the point? So, do you believe in me or not?”

Last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) introduced a competitive Academy Award for Achievement in Casting. Seeing and hearing Ippolito, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where his casting doesn’t get a nomination this year. The most impressive casting of a younger version of someone that isn’t based on CGI or AI, actually. With his performance the attention to detail, this film seems like an incredible trip behind the scenes of one of the most iconic movies of all time.

“I Play Rocky,” also starring Toby Kebbell, P.J. Byrne, Jay Duplass, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, Tracy Letts and Kiki Seto, opens in select theaters Nov. 6 and expands nationwide Nov. 20. Special early-access screenings are set for New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia on Nov. 1 and 4.

General Christian

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