Rocky Officially Switches Genres With 2026 Movie Releasing Soon

Published Sep 30, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Audiences have enjoyed Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise since it began in 1976. The Philadelphia-based Italian fighter Rocky Balboa became an instant sports movie icon, and the first film's success gave Stallone a whole universe to explore. 50 years later, that includes nine Rocky and Creed movies, an anime short film, and plans for more movies and shows. The longevity of the Rocky franchise has only come thanks to many changes over the years. The first six movies were led by Stallone's boxer, as he fought everyone from Mr. T. to Dolph Lundgren. Once Balboa's time in the ring came to a close, Ryan Coogler reinvented the series by shifting the perspective to follow Apollo Creed's kid, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). While the Rocky movies have changed main characters, villains, directors, tones, and will even switch formats in the near future to make its first TV show, one aspect that has always been consistent is the genre. The Rocky and Creed films fall perfectly into the sports movie realm, as the lead character repeatedly has to prove himself by overcoming challenges in the ring and his normal life. This changes in 2026 with the latest entry in the Rocky franchise, I Play Rocky. Set for release on November 6, the movie puts a new spin on the sports movie genre by shifting the perspective to a biopic about Stallone and the making of the original film. I Play Rocky Puts A Whole New Spin On The Rocky Franchise Rather than remaking Rocky or finding a different character to follow within the larger franchise, I Play Rocky is smartly changing the formula to tackle a new but familiar story. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the feature explores the entire development of the original 1976 movie. While it is told from Stallone's perspective, the biopic drama goes well beyond him to include other notable figures in this series. Anthony Ippolito is responsible for playing Stallone. Stephan James plays Carl Weathers, Rocky's Apollo Creed actor. Other Rocky cast members are represented with Kiki Seto as Talia Shire, Robert Morgan as Burgess Meredith, and Scot Teller as Burt Young. Even those behind-the-scenes for Rocky make appearances in the biopic, with P.J. Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler, Toby Kebbell as producer Robert Chartoff, and Jay Duplass as director John G. Avildsen. I Play Rocky will recreate key moments from the 1976 sports drama, but this time put them through the biopic lens. It won't just focus on chronicling Balboa's personal journey, as it instead dedicates time to exploring Stallone's life leading up to and during the making of his breakout role that launched this franchise. Rocky's Genre Switch Won't Last As inventive as it is for Amazon MGM to use the Rocky franchise in this way, the future of the series does not rest with more biopics. This is seemingly a one-time switch that allows the studio to give fans greater insight into how the series began before shifting back to the usual sports movies. The Rocky franchise is going to live on next with the Delphi TV series. Afterward, Jordan is working on developing Creed 4. That film should be directed by the franchise's modern star once again. Whether he remains the lead character or the perspective shifts to a new fighter (such as his daughter Amara Creed) remains to be seen. On top of new Creed movies, we can never rule out Stallone returning for another Rocky-centric film. Amazon is also known to have developed a movie about Ivan and Viktor Drago before opting not to move forward with it. There are plenty of possibilities ahead for more Rocky movies. But unless Amazon wanders into the feud between Stallone and Winkler over the franchise's rights, there isn't much room for more biopics after I Play Rocky. Release Date November 20, 2026 Runtime 127 minutes Director Peter Farrelly Writers Peter Gamble Producers Toby Emmerich, Michele Weiss, Peter Farrelly, Christian Baha Cast Anthony Ippolito Sylvester Stallone