‘I’m not dead yet’: Stallone’s mixed feelings on biopic

Sylvester Stallone has mixed feelings about the biopic I Play Rocky, mainly down to the fact he’s “not dead yet”.

The new film tells the story of Stallone’s efforts to bring his boxing movie Rocky to the big screen in the 1970s, with Anthony Ippolito playing the actor.

While it was previously claimed that Stallone liked the film, the screen star set the record straight during an interview at The 92NY in New York to promote his memoir The Steps.

Responding to the interviewer asking what he thought of I Play Rocky, he said: “Kind of mixed because I’m not dead yet. Aren’t we jumping the gun a little bit”?

However, when he saw a clip of Ippolito in character as him, Sylvester was left stunned by the incredible likeness.

“I actually thought it was me the first moment, there were a couple of angles,” he said.

Of meeting Stallone ahead of filming, Ippolito previously told The Hollywood Reporter that “it was a lot to take in”.

“It was very overwhelming and daunting. There’s a lot going on in my head, but I was really just trying to listen as much as possible and hear his perspective.”

I Play Rocky is already being tipped as an Oscar contender ahead of the 2027 Academy Awards.

If the film lands nominations, it would follow in the footsteps of Rocky, which landed 10 nods and won three Oscars including the coveted Best Picture prize in 1977.

FAST FACTS: The incredible story behind Rocky

Stallone wouldn’t give Rocky up: Sylvester Stallone was virtually unknown when producers became interested in his screenplay. Despite being offered substantial money for the script, he refused to sell unless he was allowed to play Rocky Balboa himself.

He really was struggling: Stallone has spoken openly about how little money he had before Rocky. At one point he even sold his beloved bullmastiff, Butkus, because he could no longer afford to keep him. After his fortunes changed, Stallone bought the dog back — and Butkus went on to appear alongside him in Rocky and Rocky II.

The first draft came remarkably quickly: Stallone wrote the first draft in about three days, although the screenplay subsequently went through a series of major rewrites before filming began.

It was made on a shoestring: Rocky cost about $1 million to make and was filmed in just 28 days. It ultimately earned around $225 million worldwide — an extraordinary return for a film built around a largely unknown leading man.

Then came Oscar night: Rocky received 10 Academy Award nominations, with Stallone nominated for both Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. The movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture.

Rocky became part of film history: In 2006, the original movie was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry, which recognises films considered culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.

with Starts at 60 Writers