The first glimpse of Anthony Ippolito as the young Sylvester Stallone has been unveiled by I Play Rocky, and he is gearing up to film the iconic 1976 film Rocky. The Amazon MGM Studios' newly released photo showcases Ippolito flawlessly channeling Stallone's appearance from the original film. The actor, known for his role in The Purple Hearts, was seen wearing grey cut-off sweats, a thermal top, and black shoes, mirroring Stallone's attire in the iconic movie.
The caption of the post reads, "This film tells the true story of Sylvester Stallone and his unwavering belief that he was not just meant to write Rocky, but was meant to be Rocky Balboa." As per Deadline, the official synopsis of the story states, "A struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment writes a script that a major movie studio wants to buy. However, he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead role. He turns down the multi-million offer and works for pennies to bring the movie to life with himself as the main character."
When released, the film became a box office hit in 1976, earning 10 Oscar nominations and winning the Best Picture award. The upcoming film is being directed by Peter Farrelly, who will also produce it alongside Toby Emmerich and Christian Baha. Peter Gamble is the screenplay writer.
In addition to Ippolito, the cast includes Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who portrayed Rocky's fierce rival Apollo Creed, as well as Anna Sophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P.J. Byrne, Tracy Letts, and Jay Duplass. The release date for I Play Rocky has yet to be announced, but fans are eagerly awaiting this highly anticipated project.
