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Anthony Ippolito debuts his performance as a young Sylvester Stallone in the trailer for I Play Rocky<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The new movie follows the development and production of 1976\u2019s Rocky<\/em>, which catapulted Stallone to stardom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n I Play Rocky <\/em>is in theaters in November<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Fifty years after Sylvester Stallone<\/a> kick-started his own career with the movie Rocky<\/em><\/a>, Anthony Ippolito is playing the actor in a movie that takes audiences behind the scenes of the iconic boxing movie\u2019s development and production.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, July 15, Amazon MGM Studios released a trailer for I Play Rocky<\/em>, which stars Ippolito, 26, as a young Stallone, eager to prove himself in Hollywood with a handwritten script for the original 1976 Rocky<\/em> movie.<\/p>\n Directed by Academy Award<\/a> winner Peter Farrelly (Green Book<\/em>) and written by Peter Gamble, the movie depicts the behind-the-scenes difficulties and dramas that Stallone, now 80, went through while trying to get Rocky <\/em>made.<\/p>\n I Play Rocky<\/em> \u201cis an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn\u2019t just meant to write Rocky\u2014he was meant to be Rocky Balboa,\u201d reads an official synopsis for the movie. \u201cTold \u2018no\u2019 at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n AnnaSophia Robb<\/a> costars with Ippolito in I Play Rocky<\/em> as Sasha Czack, Stallone\u2019s first wife, whom he was married to in the 1970s and \u201880s. (The former couple share sons<\/a> Sage, who died in 2012 at 36<\/a>, and Seargeoh, 46.)<\/p>\n Stephan James portrays Carl Weathers<\/a>, who played the boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky<\/em> franchise. Weathers himself died at 76<\/a> in 2024. The movie\u2019s cast also includes Matt Dillon<\/a> as Frank Stallone Sr.<\/a>, as well as Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Kiki Seto, P.J. Byrne and more.<\/p>\n Stallone famously starred in Rocky<\/em>, which he wrote himself and demanded to lead in the starring role, after working in Hollywood for roughly seven years. The movie was an instant hit and won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing at the 1977 Oscars.<\/p>\n Anthony Ippolito in the \u2018I Play Rocky\u2019 trailerCredit: Amazon MGM Studios\/Youtube<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Stallone was nominated for his leading performance and for writing the movie\u2019s screenplay.<\/p>\n The movie spawned one of Hollywood\u2019s longest-running franchises as Stallone went on to make six movies in the main Rocky series, and Michael B. Jordan<\/a> took up the mantle as Adonis Creed \u2014 the son of Weathers\u2019 character \u2014 with the three Creed<\/em> movies, released between 2015 and 2023.<\/p>\n Ippolito, interestingly, is best known for portraying another \u201870s icon \u2014 Al Pacino<\/a> \u2014 in the 2022 miniseries The Offer<\/em>, which depicted the production of The Godfather<\/em>. He most recently appeared on the big screen in the 2022 movie Purple Hearts<\/em>. In real life, Stallone is releasing a memoir titled <\/a>The Steps<\/em><\/a> on Sept. 29.<\/p>\n