"If Beale Street Could Talk" actor
Stephan James is set to star in Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming biographical drama
"I Play Rocky", which chronicles the making of the 1977 boxing classic
"Rocky". The film is directed by Oscar winner
Peter Farrelly (
"Green Book",
"The Greatest Beer Run Ever") from a script by
Peter Gamble.
The film tells the true story of 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,
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.
Anthony Ippolito will play the young Stallone, while James will play the role of
Carl Weathers, Stallone's co-star in the franchise that remains one of the most iconic and financially successful sports film franchises of all time. Between the original six films and the three
"Creed" spin-offs, the series has grossed $1.7 billion worldwide.
"I Play Rocky" will be produced by
Toby Emmerich and
Christian Baha, with FilmNation Entertainment handling production services and international sales.
James can next be seen starring opposite
Alan Ritchson in Netflix's sci-fi action film
"War Machine".