Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed a Thanksgiving 2026 release for I Play Rocky, the drama about the making of the original Rocky.

Directed by Peter Farrelly (Green Book) and written by Peter Gamble, the film opens in limited release on 13 November 2026, with a wide nationwide release on 20 November – one day before the 50th anniversary of the original film’s release on 21 November 1976.

Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Sylvester Stallone. The film tells the story of how an unknown, broke actor wrote a screenplay in three days, refused to sell it unless he played the lead, turned down six-figure offers, and helped produce it for under a million dollars. The result won Best Picture. The supporting cast includes Stephan James as Carl Weathers, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., P.J. Byrne as Irwin Winkler, Toby Kebbell as Robert Chartoff, and Jay Duplass as director John G. Avildsen.

Photography began in October 2025 across New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.