A film about Sylvester Stallone making the Rocky movies is now in development. Stallone made his debut as fictional boxer Rocky Balboa in the 1976 film named after the character. The feature went on to win a number of accolades, including Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. Stallone was also nominated for both for his performance and for his screenplay.
As per Variety, a movie about Stallone making Rocky is now in development. The film will be titled I Play Rocky and be directed by Peter Farrelly. It will take time to explore Stallone long before his Rocky days, back when he was a struggling Hollywood actor stricken with a speech impediment and paralyzed face. The film will follow Stallone from his origins as this struggling actor to when he worked on Rocky. I Play Rocky will be produced by Toby Emmerich, who said the following about the project:
I’ve been a fan of Peter Farrelly as both a filmmaker and a person since getting to work with him on the music for ‘Dumb and Dumber.’ But it was ‘Green Book’ that made me think of Pete for this inspiring screenplay. Christian Baha and I feel blessed to have Pete at the helm for this movie. And like the unknown Stallone starring in ‘Rocky,’ Pete will be conducting a worldwide search to discover another actor who just needs one shot — in ‘I Play Rocky’ — to show the world what he can do.
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As Emmerich expresses in his quote, Farrelly has been directing for a long time. While his claim-to-fame was Dumb and Dumber, the director also helmed the Best Picture-winning film Green Book. Green Book was also a biopic, showcasing Farrelly’s knack for dramas within this genre. It will thus be interesting to see what he can do with another drama, still staying away from his comedy days.
I Play Rocky is not the only film to celebrate Stallone’s acting career as of late. Last year, Netflix released Sly, which covered the actor’s nearly 50-year career. Unlike I Play Rocky, Sly is a documentary, and is more expansive than Farrelly’s, which seems to focus strictly on the making of Rocky. Sly did, however, recognize the importance of Rocky in Stallone’s career, using the character’s creation as a key turning point in the film.
The nearly back-to-back creation of I Play Rocky and Sly just goes to show how influential Stallone’s legacy in Rocky is. Part of this influence comes from the fact that Rocky is now a multi-movie franchise that has spanned many decades. Stallone’s career might be of particular interest due to the likeness it has with the Rocky story. That is, Rocky Balboa himself is an unassuming underdog, rising to fame despite the odds. This inspiring journey shared by both Rocky and Stallone will be explored in detail in I Play Rocky.