I Play Rocky has found its Frank Stallone Sr. in Matt Dillon: Here are all the latest casting updates

In the latest addition to the cast of I Play Rocky, actor Matt Dillon will portray the role of Sylvester Stallone's father, Frank Stallone Sr., as reported by Deadline.

The Academy Award–nominated actor is well known for his work in My Bodyguard (1980), The Flamingo Kid (1984), City of Ghosts (2002), Crash (2004), Wayward Pines (2015), Asteroid City (2022), and Being Maria (2024), to name a few. In the meantime, several actors, along with Dillon, have come on board in the casting of the film.

The film follows the resilient journey of Sylvester Stallone, who fights all odds to rise from a nobody to being one of the biggest stars. Not only has he penned the story of Rocky, he also starred as the iconic character. This film follows the gallant story of the man who created as well as portrayed Rocky.

Its synopsis, as per Deadline, goes as:

I Play Rocky is billed as an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told no at every turn, Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

Keep reading to find out more about the latest casting updates of I Play Rocky.

Everything we know about the cast of I Play Rocky

In this upcoming film I Play Rocky, Matt Dillon will be playing the role of Frank Stallone Sr. Born in 1919, he was a businessperson who had opened several salon shops, before he served in the military for the US Army during WWII. Interestingly, he also made his first screen appearance as a timekeeper in Sylvester Stallone's iconic 1976 film, Rocky. Frank Stallone Sr. passed away in 2011.

The film shall be helmed by Peter Farrelly, who has previously directed Dumb and Dumber (1994), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), The Heartbreak Kid (2007), The Three Stooges (2012), etc. This is not the first film Dillon has worked with Farrelly, as the actor had previously starred in There's Something About Mary (1998).

Alongside Matt Dillon, actors including Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb and Anthony Ippolito are also joining the cast of the film, as announced earlier.

Stephan James shall be portraying the role of the late actor Carl Weathers, who played the role of boxer Apollo Creed in the initial four films of the Rocky film franchise (1976, 1979, 1982, 1985). Creed, who started out as a negative character, eventually emerged as a positive force to the character of Rocky.

Actor AnnaSophia Robb, in the film, shall be portraying the role of Sasha Czack, the former wife of Sly Stallone. And lastly, we have Anthony Ippolito, who shall be embodying the young Stallone. The resemblance of Ippolito and the young Sly Stallone is remarkable to witness. Hence, that makes the actor the perfect choice to play Stallone in I Play Rocky.