Peter Farrelly has been tapped to direct I Play Rocky, a movie about how Sylvester Stallone fought tooth and nail to play the role of Rocky Balboa.
Per Deadline, Farrelly will direct I Play Rocky, which is being produced by Toby Emmerich. CAA Media Finance and FilmNation will be selling the movie to prospective buyers at the Cannes Film Market.
What is I Play Rocky about?
“A struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment writes a script that a big movie studio wants to buy, but he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead,” the description of the movie reads. “Turning down an offer of life-changing money, he instead works for pennies to get the movie made with himself in the starring role. The movie becomes the biggest box office hit of 1976, notching 10 Oscar nominations and winning Best Picture. The true story of the making of the iconic movie Rocky.”
Casting for I Play Rocky has not yet been announced. It’s unclear if Stallone will have any involvement with the film.
“I’ve been a fan of Peter Farrelly as both a filmmaker and a person since getting to work with him on the music for Dumb and Dumber,” Emmerich said. “But it was Green Book that made me think of Pete for this inspiring screenplay. Christian Baha and I feel blessed to have Pete at the helm for this movie. And like the unknown Stallone starring in Rocky, Pete will be conducting a worldwide search to discover another actor who just needs one shot — in I Play Rocky — to show the world what he can do.”
Christian Baha is also producing I Play Rocky with Emmerich and Farrelly, while the script comes from Peter Gamble.
Farrelly directed 2018’s Green Book, which controversially won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards. He also directed 2022’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever and, most recently, 2024’s Ricky Stanicky. Prior to Green Book, Farrelly directed a number of comedy movies with his brother, Bobby Farrelly, including 1994’s Dumb and Dumber, 1998’s There’s Something About Mary, 2011’s Hall Pass, and more.
