‘I Play Rocky’ Is Coming to Theaters in 2026

A new Rocky movie is ready to enter the ring, but it’s not exactly what you’d expect. Rather than finding the septuagenarian Sylvester Stallone exchanging punches, I Play Rocky will instead detail the real-life events that led the actor to write and star in one of the most iconic underdog stories of all time. I Play Rocky has now been given a theatrical release date by Amazon MGM Studios, with the movie set to hit theaters in time for the 50th Anniversary of Stallone’s first outing as Rocky Balboa.

Coming via The Hollywood Reporter, I Play Rocky, which will star Purple Hearts and The Offer actor Anthony Ippolito as a young Sylvester Stallone, is now all set to open in theaters nationwide on November 20, 2026, following a limited release on November 13, and thus marking the release of the original, which first hit the silver screen all the way back on November 21, 1976.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Farrelly (Green Book) from a screenplay written by Peter Gamble, I Play Rocky will feature a whole host of actors playing younger versions of real-life icons, including Stephan James as Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers, Kiki Seto as Oscar-nominee Talia Shire, who played the iconic Adrian; Robert Morgan as Burgess Meredith, who starred as Rocky’s lovably gruff trainer Mickey; Scot Teller as Burt Young, who played Rocky’s brother-in-law and best friend Paulie; and Rob Demery as former undisputed heavyweight champion, Joe Frazier. The rest of the cast includes AnnaSophia Robb, P. J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Jay Duplass, and Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., Sylvester Stallone’s father.

‘Rocky’ Is an Essential Underdog Story

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky

United Artists

The story of how the first Rocky movie was made is just as compelling an underdog story as the boxing drama itself. Written by a struggling Sylvester Stallone, who was so unbelievably broke at the time that he had to sell his beloved dog (don’t worry, he got him back after finding success), the project kept stalling due to the unknown actor’s desire to play the title role. Standing as strong as “The Italian Stallion” himself, Stallone’s wish was granted when producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff bought the script and allowed him to take the lead.

The rest, of course, is history, as Rocky spawned one of the most successful franchises of all time that was not only followed by several sequels, but also an acclaimed spin-off series in Creed. And, again, much like Mr. Balboa, the Rocky franchise refuses to stay down. A fourth Creed movie from actor and director Michael B. Jordan is now in the works, as is a Prime Video series spin-off, Delphi, which will reportedly follow the next generation of boxers who train at the Delphi Boxing Academy.

Not only that, but Stallone himself revealed back in 2024 that he is now working on a Rocky prequel. “The Rocky prequel is very near and dear to my heart. I wrote a few pages of it, and it just seems to write itself,” he revealed. “Seeing Adrienne at 15, Rocky at 17, Paulie moving into a new neighborhood, Rocky’s your bad boy. It’s almost like Lady and the Tramp, but with real people. It’s going to be wonderful.”