Peter Farrelly’s ‘I Play Rocky’ Lands Coveted Thanksgiving 2026 Release in Theaters

Amazon MGM Studios’ I Play Rocky is stepping into theaters to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Sylvester Stallone’s legendary boxing film.

Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film chronicles the behind-the-scenes story of Rocky and will debut with a limited theatrical release on Nov. 13 before expanding nationwide on Nov. 20. The timing is intentional: the original Rocky premiered on Nov. 21, 1976.

Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Sylvester Stallone in the drama, which tells the true Hollywood story of an unknown actor driven by an unshakable conviction that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Stallone risks everything on himself, refusing to compromise on playing the lead despite overwhelming odds. The journey ultimately becomes the definitive underdog story behind the definitive underdog movie.

Farrelly, who won an Oscar for directing Green Book, helms the project from a script by Peter Gamble. The ensemble cast includes Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Stephan James, Kiki Seto, Robert Morgan, Saul Stein, Trevor St. John, Erik Palladino and Rob Demery.

I Play Rocky marks Ippolito’s second portrayal of an Italian-American screen icon, following his performance as Al Pacino in Paramount’s limited series The Offer.

The film is produced by Toby Emmerich, Christian Baha and Farrelly, with FilmNation Entertainment providing production services and handling international sales.

Originally released by MGM, Rocky launched one of the studio’s most enduring franchises, later revitalized by the Creed films. Many believed the saga had concluded after the sixth installment, 2006’s Rocky Balboa, but Creed—starring Michael B. Jordan and Stallone—revived the series and marked director Ryan Coogler’s first major studio project after his breakout indie Fruitvale Station, which was produced on a shoestring budget.

Read the full article on The Hollywood Reporter.