With the boxer drama “Rocky”, the then unknown actor Sylvester Stallone (77) immediately became a global star in the mid-1970s. There were three Oscars for the thrilling work, in which Stallone not only played the lead role of Rocky Balboa, but also wrote the screenplay. Now the industry magazine “Variety” reports that “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly (67) will direct a film about the creation of “Rocky” and Sylvester Stallone’s breakthrough as a Hollywood star.
The biopic “I Play Rocky” tells the story of the young Sylvester Stallone, long before he became one of the defining action heroes of modern times. As an aspiring actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment, Stallone is not particularly in demand in the Hollywood dream factory at this time. But a major film studio is fighting over the script he wrote for “Rocky”. However, Stallone has one condition: he wants to play the lead role himself. For this reason, he initially rejects a lucrative offer and continues to make ends meet with odd jobs before “Rocky” is ultimately realized and makes him a global star.
It is not yet clear which actor will portray the young Sylvester Stallone in “I Play Rocky”. In addition to “Green Book”, which was named “Best Film” of the year at the 81st Academy Awards in 2019, director Farrelly also directed the comedy classic “Dumb and Dumber” (1994) together with his brother Bobby Farrelly (65). , “Crazy for Mary” (1998) and “Deadly in Love” (2001). Peter Gamble wrote the screenplay for “I Play Rocky”. A start date is not yet available.
