It’s funny but also a bit sad that as Sylvester Stallone struggles to get all that he’s due from the creation of Rocky, someone sets into motion a film about Sly’s making of the classic boxing drama. Deadline reports it’ll be Peter Farrelly directing I Play Rocky, telling the story behind the film that launched Stallone’s career.
Stallone famously wrote, directed, and starred in Rocky, which went on to win 10 Oscars in 1976 including Best Picture. I Play Rocky will be directed by Farrell, known for Green Book, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and the unfortunate Ricky Stanicky released just this year. Of course, Farrelly is also known for a string of dumb comedies directed with his brother, Bobby.
The script is by Peter Gamble, with former Warner Bros. exec Toby Emmerich producing.
Here’s the early synopsis: 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. 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.
“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.”
Casting is underway, and good luck finding someone to play Stallone. I wonder if they’ll ask for his input. Eh, doubtful.
