# How Rocky's origin story became Amazon's franchise play

> A film about Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky couldn't find a studio willing to advertise a rival's franchise. Amazon MGM Studios saw the opportunity.
- Title: How Rocky's origin story became Amazon's franchise play
- Summary: A film about Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky couldn't find a studio willing to advertise a rival's franchise. Amazon MGM Studios saw the opportunity.
- Keywords: i play rocky, rocky, sylvester stallone, amazon mgm studios, peter farrelly, anthony ippolito, peter gamble, film production, franchise, Fortune
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/11/10/i-play-rocky-amazon-mgm-stallone-franchise-50
- Author: Andrew McGowan
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: i play rocky, rocky, sylvester stallone, amazon mgm studios, peter farrelly, anthony ippolito, peter gamble, film production, franchise
## A film about Rocky's birth
I Play Rocky, directed by Peter Farrelly, follows Sylvester Stallone's push to write Rocky and his insistence on playing the title role himself. Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone in the film.
## Rocky's fifty-year legacy
Rocky opened in November nineteen seventy-six, earned ten Academy Award nominations, and won three, including Best Picture. The nine films have grossed about one point nine billion dollars worldwide.
## Amazon bought the franchise
Amazon agreed to pay eight point four five billion dollars for MGM, home to both Rocky and James Bond. The deal closed in twenty twenty-two, and MGM now sits inside Amazon MGM Studios.
## Written without studio backing
Screenwriter Peter Gamble wrote I Play Rocky on spec.It landed on the Black List, then reached producers Christian Baha and Toby Emmerich and director Farrelly.In twenty twenty-four, they took it to Cannes seeking independent financing.
## Why studios said no
Rival studios rejected the project because making a film about one studio's franchise would advertise that franchise. Gamble said studios feared the reward would go to someone else, not them.

> If we make this story, it's going to be advertising another studio's franchise.
## Amazon MGM stepped in
Amazon MGM signed on to distribute the film in twenty twenty-five, before cameras rolled. This cleared I Play Rocky to use Bill Conti's theme Gonna Fly Now and recreate exact shots from the original.
## Wide release and new audiences
I Play Rocky opened on seven screens on November sixth and grossed about three hundred forty-five thousand dollars. It goes wide on November twentieth as Rocky enters its sixth decade.
## Key takeaway

I Play Rocky, a film about the making of the original 1976 movie, went to Amazon MGM Studios after rival studios rejected it, fearing they would be promoting another company's franchise.