I PLAY ROCKY

USA | 2026 | COLOR | DCP | 127’ | ENGLISH

Before Sylvester Stallone made his mark on modern pop culture as the humble boxer Rocky, he had to convince Hollywood that he was worthy of playing the character he had conceived and written. And this endlessly entertaining film, directed by Oscar-winning Peter Farrelly, recounts the incredible story behind one of American cinema’s most famous success stories, full of grueling battles, self-sacrifice, doubts and constant rejection. Shortly before turning 30, penniless and without a permanent home, a desperate Stallone (played superbly by Anthony Ippolito) writes, in just a few days, the screenplay about the life of a down-and-out boxer who refuses to give up until he reaches the top. The studios are impressed by the script, but refuse to accept his non-negotiable condition: that he must play the lead role. The journey towards one of the most successful and enduringly popular films ever made is a tender ode to the wounded self-confidence of all those who feel, in some way, like outsiders. And Peter Farrelly’s uplifting film, as well as thrilling audiences who have seen it abroad so far, has also received the blessing of Sylvester Stallone himself. Andreas Kyrkos

DIRECTORS: Peter Farrelly
SCREENWRITER: Peter Gamble
DoP: Sean Porter
MUSIC: Dave Palmer
EDITOR: Sam Seig
PRINCIPAL CAST: Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, P. J. Byrne, Stephan James, Jay Duplass, Robert Morgan, Tracy Letts, Matt Dillon

PETER FARRELLY

American director, producer and published author (b. 1956). Along with his brother, Bobby, they are one of the most commercially successful duos in Hollywood history. Two-time winner of an Academy Award for “The Green Book” (2018) that was named Best Picture.

FILMOGRAPHY
2026 I Play Rocky
2026 Balls Up
2024 Ricky Stanicky
2022 The Greatest Beer Run Ever
2018 Green Book
2013 Movie 43