Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming I Play Rocky movie from director Peter Farelly has locked a November 20 release date --- a day ahead of the 50th anniversary of Sylvester Stallone's cult-classic boxing film.

The story of the film will follow Sylvester's journey that sees him navigating beyond every hurdle thrown at him to not only get Rocky (1976) made, but to also play Rocky Balboa. I Play Rocky will also show the contentious, later mended relationship that Sylvester shared with Frank Sr.

Anthony Ippolito will essay the lead role of Sylvester Stallone, with Anna Sophia Robb playing Sylvester's first wife, Sasha Czack, and Stephen James, playing Carl Weathers, the actor who portrayed Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise.

Farelly won an Oscar for his work on the 2018 film Green Book which he wrote, directed and produced. Farelly won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside Jim Burke, Charles B Wessler, Brian Hayes Currie, and Nick Vallelonga. Farelly is directing I Play Rocky from a script by Peter Gamble. Toby Emmerich and Christian Baha are producing the film. Amazon MGM and FilmNation Services are backing the film.

This film will not be Ippolito's first portrayal of an Italian-American actor. He previously played Al Pacino in The Offer, which was about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972).

Rocky (1976), followed the story of Rocky Balboa, a boxer who is challenged by the professional, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), for a match. The film also navigates Rocky's struggles into becoming a professional. The film's success led to eight sequels, beginning with Rocky II in 1979, followed by Rocky III in 1982, Rocky IV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, Rocky Balboa in 2006. Three Creed spin-off films were released in 2015, 2018 and 2023 respectively. The original Rocky received ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture.