I played Rocky, a drama that follows the behind-the-scenes journey of the iconic Sylvester Stallone movie, made its grand entrance in Las Vegas on Wednesday during Amazon MGM Studio's CinemaCon presentation. Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Stallone in this thrilling Hollywood tale, which recounts the story of an unknown actor who bets on himself to become Rocky Balboa. Directed by Peter Farrelly, this film will hit theaters nationwide on November 20 following a limited release on November 13. It's a fitting tribute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rocky, which originally premiered on November 21, 1976.
Farrelly, along with Ippolito and several members of the young cast, graced the stage, as the director promised, "They're going to blow you away." They then revealed some exclusive footage that showcased Ippolito flawlessly impersonating Stallone's iconic raspy voice. He explains that he now goes by Mike because kids made fun of his name.
"You don't have the looks to be a movie star, you talk like you've got rocks in your mouth," he's told as he struggles to become an actor. But his girlfriend, played by AnnaSophia Robb, encourages him to keep his given name and write his own script, taking the lead role for himself. And so he writes Rocky and embarks on a quest to convince studio executives to play the titular role.
Eventually, he lands the gig and puts in countless hours of training but still doubts his path. By the end, with the iconic Rocky score in the background, the character questions, "This movie is about having a belief in yourself, it's about going the distance. I put my heart and soul on the page; if I'm not willing to live up to what I wrote, then what's the point? So do you believe in me, or not?"
The film also features an impressive cast including Robb, Matt Dillon, 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. Ippolito once again steps into familiar territory by portraying a young Hollywood legend—he previously portrayed Al Pacino in the Paramount limited series The Offer.
Rocky, distributed by United Artists and later MGM, is one of the most iconic and financially successful sports film franchises of all time, grossing over $1.7 billion globally, including the modern Creed spin-offs. Stallone created and starred in these movies, and the story of his struggle to act in the 1976 movie that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture is now part of Hollywood history.
