Oscar nominee
Matt Dillon (
"Crash",
"There's Something About Mary") and
AnnaSophia Robb have joined the cast of the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios biopic
"I Play Rock", which tells the story of how the iconic boxing movie was made. The film is directed by
Peter Farrelly (
"Green Book") from a script by
Peter Gamble.
Dillon is set to play Frank Stallone Sr., father of
Sylvester Stallone.
Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Sylvester, while
Stephan James has signed on to play
Carl Weathers. Robb will star as Stallone's first wife, Sasha Czack.
The film has been described as an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn't just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told no at every turn, 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.
Immigrating to the U.S. from Italy as a teenager, Stallone Sr. was a hairdresser who in the course of his life wound up opening a series of barber shops, salons and beauty schools across the East Coast. As recounted in the 2023 Netflix documentary
"Sly", Stallone Sr. was a complicated man — hardworking and charismatic, but at the same time both physically and emotionally abusive to his son. Stallone nonetheless sought his father's approval throughout his life, including through his art. He arranged for him to make a cameo in 1976's Rocky, as a timekeeper.
Toby Emmerich and
Christian Baha are producing. FilmNation Entertainment handles production services and international sales. The film will be released in theaters.
