Peter Farrelly will bring his Sylvester Stallone origin story to the Toronto International Film Festival this September. I Play Rocky has been selected for the Special Presentations sidebar at TIFF 2026, which runs September 10–20. Amazon MGM Studios is releasing the film in limited theaters on November 6, 2026, before going wide on November 20.
Anthony Ippolito plays a young Stallone as a struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment who writes the Rocky script and refuses to sell it to producers unless he can play the lead himself. The supporting cast includes AnnaSophia Robb as Sasha Czack, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., Stephan James as Carl Weathers, Jay Duplass as director John G. Avildsen, and PJ Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler.
Farrelly won the Best Picture Oscar for Green Book in 2019 and has spent the years since looking for material that matches that film’s scope. I Play Rocky continues his interest in underdog stories built around real historical moments. The trailer, released earlier this month, tested well with early audiences.
Sylvester Stallone has not officially endorsed the project. According to reports, he has stated he will reserve judgment until he sees the finished film. The TIFF slot places I Play Rocky squarely in the awards conversation heading into the fall.
