I Play Rocky Brings Stallone's Rocky Fight to Toronto Premiere

“I Play Rocky,” the drama about Sylvester Stallone’s fight to write and star in “Rocky,” held its world premiere on Saturday night in Toronto. The screening took place in the Special Presentations programme at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Variety reported. The strand is one of the Toronto International Film Festival’s main showcases for new films.

The film is directed by Peter Farrelly from a screenplay by Peter Gamble. Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone. The story centres on Stallone’s insistence on leading “Rocky” himself despite studio pressure to cast an established star, Variety reported.

Farrelly, Ippolito, actors Stephan James and Jay Duplass and writer Gamble appeared together for a post-screening question-and-answer session, Variety reported. TIFF had scheduled the Special Presentations screening for Saturday the 12th at 6:00 PM, according to its listings page.

Ahead of the festival, TIFF had listed “I Play Rocky” among the premieres in its 2026 Gala and Special Presentations programmes. Its festival page bills the film as the latest work from Oscar winner Farrelly and describes Ippolito’s performance as career-making, according to TIFF.

Ippolito arrived in Toronto with Hollywood history already on his CV. He broke out as George Wright in the Netflix drama series “Grand Army” in 2020. He later played a young Al Pacino in “The Offer,” the Paramount+ limited series, a drama told in one season, about the making of “The Godfather,” Variety reported.

Farrelly also arrived with festival history. His “Green Book” won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award, the audience-voted prize, and then won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Variety reported. TIFF’s own programme notes identify “Green Book” as the winner of its 2018 People’s Choice Award.

For fans, this means a familiar underdog story told from the other side of the camera. The contest here is not in the ring but in the meeting room, over who gets to step into it.

The premiere came early in this year’s festival, which runs from 10 to 20 September. From Toronto, “I Play Rocky” moves on as the Opening Night film of HIFF34, the Hamptons International Film Festival, according to the Hamptons festival.