Anthony Ippolito is no stranger to stepping into the shoes of a legend. Fresh off his praised portrayal of Al Pacino in The Offer, he is now taking on an even bigger challenge with I Play Rocky. This time, the role demands physical transformation, deep research, and a brief but meaningful connection with the man himself.

While Ippolito builds on his legacy of playing real icons, his preparation for I Play Rocky reveals just how deep the commitment truly goes.

Anthony Ippolito is playing a young Sylvester Stallone in the biographical drama I Play Rocky, and the preparation went far beyond memorizing lines. He gained weight to match Stallone's muscular frame, studied his early filmography, including the pre-Rocky film Lords of Flatbush, and consumed as many old interviews as possible.

"Just watching his stuff, old interviews as much as possible, just really trying to soak it all in," he said in a Fandango interview.

He then added, "He couldn't have been more gracious and more generous about sharing what that experience was for him," highlighting that a Zoom call with Stallone, squeezed in between his Tulsa King filming schedule, ended up being more valuable than Ippolito had anticipated.

The film is directed by Peter Farrelly, the filmmaker behind Green Book, and is set for a staggered release by Amazon and MGM Studios. It opens in limited theaters on November 13, 2026, followed by a wide release on November 20, 2026, landing it firmly in the heart of awards season. That prime November placement signals the studio's confidence in the film as a serious contender for recognition this cycle.

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While Ippolito absorbed Stallone's real story through research and a rare personal conversation, the film around him is assembling an entire world of iconic figures brought back to life.

The ensemble cast for I Play Rocky is stacked with recognizable talent, each embodying a real figure from the original Rocky production. Stephan James plays Carl Weathers, AnnaSophia Robb portrays Stallone's first wife, Sasha Czack, and Matt Dillon steps in as Frank Stallone Sr. Kiki Seto plays Talia Shire, Robert Morgan takes on Burgess Meredith, Jay Duplass portrays director John G. Avildsen, and P.J. Byrne and Toby Kebbell play producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, respectively.

The plot centers on a near-broke actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment who writes a screenplay about a boxer, then refuses to sell it unless he is cast as the lead. That premise alone captures the kind of real-life drama that is difficult to invent. The story of Sylvester Stallone's refusal, his self-belief against staggering odds, and the chaotic production that followed places I Play Rocky firmly among the most anticipated biographical releases of 2026. Anthony Ippolito's transformation, both physical and emotional, is at the center of it all.

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What are your thoughts on Anthony Ippolito stepping into Sylvester Stallone's shoes for I Play Rocky? Let us know in the comments.