Rocky franchise is getting a new movie, but there’s a twist

The Rocky franchise is getting a new movie, but the special installment in the sports series has a behind-the-scenes twist.

It’s been 18 years since the last official installment in the Rocky franchise, not including the three Creed movies that have since added to Balboa’s boxing lore. Now, a new movie all about the production of the first Rocky movie is in development, focusing on the journey that brought audiences one of the best sports movies of all time.

Rocky’s impact cannot be overstated — it became the blueprint for every movie of its kind, redefined the movie montage, and changed the way we look at steps. (We won’t always run up them, but we certainly think about it.)

The new movie — titled I Play Rocky — will spotlight Sylvester Stallone back when he was a struggling actor, prior to his days of becoming one of the industry’s greatest action heroes. It’ll follow how he wrote the Rocky script, and (matching its apt title) how he refused to sell it unless he played the lead role. While he would go on to make and star in the movie for little money, it would eventually become one of the most enduring sports franchises of all time, with the character of Rocky Balboa serving as a cinematic American hero.

Peter Farrelly (Green Book, There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever) will produce and direct, with the script already penned by Peter Gamble. Casting is currently underway, with the part of a young Sylvester Stallone not yet filled.

Toby Emmerich, the former Warner Bros. film chief who will also produce the film, said in a statement: “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. 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.”

For more, check out all the best new movies to watch on streaming this month. And for more sports, take a look at our Challengers review.