Among some of the most famous stories about making iconic movies, one that is exceptionally well-known is howSylvester Stallonemade the firstRocky. The actor’s perseverance in what could be considered one of the lowest points of his life, paired with the massive success thatRockyturned out to be, turns the making-of story into an underdog story in and of itself. The executives at Amazon MGM Studios seem to have realized this themselves, as an exciting update on a film adaptation of Stallone’s campaign to make and play Rocky has now been confirmed.
During the Amazon MGM Studios panel at the recent CinemaCon event (via Film Stories), the project was revealed to be officially moving forward and going into production soon. The film, tentatively titledI Play Rocky, was first announced in a report from Deadline back in May 2024. Peter Farrelly is attached to direct the project, and Toby Emmerich was also revealed as a producer in that same report. Now, nearly a year later, Farrelly has been reaffirmed as the director of the project, with a screenplay written by Peter Gamble (Trenches).
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One strange omission from the project in developmentis Sylvester Stallone’s involvement. Stallone, a writer, actor, and director, has been very vocal on social media about his attachment to theRockyfranchise and its importance to him. With no mention of his involvement inI Play Rocky, some might think this could possibly be a project that Stallone disapproves of. Still, with how well-known it has become that Stallone had to fight to play the character he created, it’d be hard to imagine him not wanting the story to be told in feature-length format.
‘I Play Rocky’ Has the Makings Of A Great Underdog Story
I Play Rockyfeels reminiscent ofThe Offer, the 2022 miniseries on Paramount+ about the making ofThe Godfather. BothRockyandThe Godfatherare films released in the 1970s, and each has a unique history leading up to the production of each film. However, based on the premise alone, the upcoming Sylvester Stallone-centric film has a much more street-level feel. For one, Stallone was nowhere near as accredited as Coppola at that point in time, with the latter already having directed several films, and Stallone only having small roles beforeRocky,sometimes with no dialogue.
Peter Farrelly is known for his comediesas one half ofDumb and Dumber’sFarrelly Brothers, as well as his solo projects like the John Cena and Zac Efron filmRicky Stanicky,The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and the Academy Award-winning filmGreen Book. Given the director’s prominently comedic filmography,I Play Rockymight turn out a little less serious than Rocky fans might hope. However, his more self-seriousGreen Bookmight also indicate the potential for something more grounded. Moreover, no actor has yet been attached for the role of Sylvester Stallone, another key factor that will determine how well this quasi-biopic works.
Overall,I Play Rockyhas the potential to be an interesting film. The real-life story behind the creation ofRockyis an inspiring one, especially for any new and growing filmmaker. Movies and television series about the movie-making business have been primarily known to succeed, with only a few box-office duds in recent memory,such as Damien Chazelle’sBabylon. As the film continues in the pre-production process, it will be interesting to see if Stallone joins the film in any capacity or speaks of it, especially due to how vocal he is on social media.
Source:Film Stories,Deadline
