Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise is one of the all-time greats, and since the original film’s release in 1976, there have been 6 main entries and 3 entries in the spinoff franchise Creed. Now Rocky is returning to the big screen, but it’s not happening in the way you’d expect, and yet it may be much better than Stallone returning for another straight-up sequel.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Amazon MGM are bringing the Rocky franchise back into the spotlight in a project titled I Play Rocky, and as the name suggests, this is actually a film focused on the creation of the original Rocky film as opposed to taking place in the Rocky world, and it will feature a new lead star in a familiar role.

That star is Anthony Ippolito (The Offer), who played Al Pacino previously and will now play the role of a young Stallone in the new project. The film will recreate the true story of the then-unknown actor Stallone attempting to get the original film made. That was quite the challenging process, as not only did Stallone write the film, but he knew he was destined to play the role of Rocky as well, and it took betting on himself and pushing through all of the hurdles to finally bring that dream to fruition.

It’s worth noting that in many ways, Ippolito mirrored Stallone’s journey in his quest to get the role, as he reportedly made an unsolicited audio tape on his own and sent it directly to the film’s producers after hearing about the project. That would ultimately help win him the role, and now fans will get to see him bring Stallone and Rocky to life in a whole new way on the big screen. The film is set to be directed by Peter Farrelly (The Green Book), but right now, there isn’t a release date attached to it.

An Iconic Franchise

Since the original’s release in 1976, the franchise has delivered 5 more sequels, including Rocky II in 1979, Rocky III in 1982, Rocky IV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, and Rocky Balboa in 2006. While the original film and Rocky V were directed by John G. Avildsen, the other four films were directed by Stallone, and Stallone wrote the stories for all 6 films.

The franchise would get its first spinoff with 2015’s Creed, which was one of the first team-ups between director Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, Sinners). Stallone would actually reprise his role in the first two Creed movies, but he didn’t appear in Creed III. That was due to issues with the creative direction of the film as well as long-running issues with producer Irwin Winkler, who owns the rights to the Rocky franchise. Creed III was the first time Stallone wasn’t involved with a film involving the Rocky story, and at the moment, that looks to continue with I Play Rocky.

The Right Direction

The falling out between Stallone and Winkler is unfortunate and likely means we won’t get another project involving both of them down the road. That’s why something like I Play Rocky is actually a breath of fresh air and likely the right way to proceed instead of pushing through and doing another sequel with Stallone as the lead character, which is likely to cause more issues and result in even more behind-the-scenes conflict.

Something like this can offer a unique viewpoint into the making of an iconic franchise, and as long as it’s depicted in a fair way to all involved, fans can take new things away from the story and celebrate a beloved franchise at the same time.

Now mind you, as someone who holds up Rocky Balboa as one of his favorite films in the franchise, I would not mind a Stallone return for one more round in the least, as that film showcased how much can be explored with emotional storytelling within the franchise. Still, for now, this is probably the best bet, and hopefully, we’ll get more details soon.

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