Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Race,” “Beacon 23”) has signed on to star opposite Anthony Ippolito in “I Play Rocky” for Amazon MGM Studios.
The film deals with the making of Sylvester Stallone’s seminal 1976 boxing film “Rocky”. James will play the role of Carl Weathers, a professional football player turned actor and Stallone’s co-star who plays Apollo Creed in the films.
Anthony Ippolito (“The Offer,” “Purple Hearts”) stars as Stallone, at that time a struggling actor with a partially paralysed face and a speech impediment.
Stallone writes a script that a big movie studio wants to buy, but he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead. Turning down an offer of life-changing money, he instead works for pennies to get the movie made with himself in the starring role.
“Rocky” went on to become the biggest box office hit of 1976, landing ten Oscar nominations and winning Best Picture before spawning a successful franchise.
Weathers went on to reprise the part in three more installments before his character’s death in “Rocky IV”. Michael B. Jordan plays the character’s son Adonis Creed in the “Creed” films.
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”) is directing the film while Peter Gamble (“Office Uprising”) penned the script. Farrelly, Toby Emmerich and Christian Baha are producing.
Source: Deadline
