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How Stallone's all-or-nothing screenplay gamble gets its own movie

7/26/2026

A first-time screenwriter turned down escalating offers for his script, choosing copyright ownership (the legal right that lets a creator control who buys their work and on what terms) over a guaranteed payday.

That screenwriter was Sylvester Stallone, and the script was "Rocky." Amazon's upcoming biographical drama "I Play Rocky," directed by Peter Farrelly and due in November, re-examines how that bet on himself transformed a broke unknown into a Hollywood legend.

What Stallone actually walked away from The numbers were real.

Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler wanted to buy the "Rocky" script outright, and their offers climbed to $360,000 with established stars already circling the lead role.

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