I Play Rocky: Anthony Ippolito to play Sylvester Stallone in Amazon’s movie about the making of the boxing masterpiece
The search for an actor to play the Italian Stallion in I Play Rocky, a film about the making of Sylvester Stallone’s boxing classic, is at an end! Anthony Ippolito (Purple Hearts, The Offer, Pixels), who previously played Al Pacino in Paramount’s limited series The Offer, is ready to eat lightning and crap thunder as a young Stallone in the high-profile project from Peter Farrelly (Green Book, Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary).
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s exclusive report, Ippolito “will star as a young Sylvester Stallone in the drama, the true Hollywood story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.”
THR says Ippolito was not messing around when it came to landing the role. The publication says he made an unsolicited audition tape on his own accord and sent it directly to the producers of I Play Rocky. His can-do spirit paid off in spades, as he’s now the show’s star.
Toby Emmerich, the former Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, and Christian Baha will produce, and Peter Gamble will write the script.
“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,” Emmerich said last year. “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.”
Baha added, “When I first read Peter Gamble’s energetic and poignant script, I knew it captured something very special. The story of I Play Rocky is as unique as Sylvester Stallone himself, a seeming Everyman with an undeniable gift who needs to share it with the world and refuses to take “no” for an answer. And like the hero of our film, Baha Productions needed grit and determination as we fought for years to make this project into a reality. We are so fortunate to have teamed up with Toby Emmerich and Peter Farrelly, two legendary talents who not only share but enhance our vision of the film.”
What do you think about Anthony Ippolito playing Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky? How good is Ippolito’s Stallone impression? Do you think he practiced it in a mirror before making his audition tape? Has Stallone heard it? We can’t wait to listen to it and see Ippolito transform into Stallone for his most iconic role.
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