Amazon's I Play Rocky Casts Anthony Ippolito as Young Sylvester Stallone

Anthony Ippolito has been cast as a young Sylvester Stallone in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios film I Play Rocky, directed by Peter Farrelly. The biopic dramatizes the making of the 1976 film Rocky, focusing on Stallone's determination to star in the movie he wrote despite initial rejections and low budget constraints. Ippolito, known for his role as Al Pacino in The Offer, secured the role through an unsolicited audition tape that impressed producers, reflecting Stallone's own relentless drive. The film will explore Stallone's journey from a struggling actor with a speech impediment to the star of a Best Picture Oscar-winning film that launched a major franchise. Peter Gamble wrote the script, and producers include Toby Emmerich and Christian Baha, with Farrelly aiming to capture the spirit of Stallone's underdog story. The project highlights the challenges Stallone faced in insisting on playing the lead role, ultimately turning down a lucrative offer to make the film with himself as Rocky Balboa.