Stephan James Recreates Carl Weathers' Rocky II Suit — SkimNews
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- Stephan James wore a custom three-piece white King & Bay suit at Saturday’s AFI Fest screening of I Play Rocky, recreating the suit Carl Weathers wore to the Rocky II premiere in Philadelphia.
- Samantha Hill suggested the wardrobe homage, and James added a rose brooch as his “little twist” on the actual rose Weathers had, a detail he said made the tribute more timeless.
- I Play Rocky casts Stephan James as Carl Weathers in Peter Farrelly’s film about the making of Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 Rocky; Weathers died in 2024.
- Michael B. Jordan, who played Apollo Creed’s son in the three Creed movies, spoke with James after the casting; James recalled, “Hey, I’m gonna be your daddy, Mike.”
- Anthony Ippolito portrays Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky, which has earned critical raves and Oscar buzz since its early-September premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Amazon MGM will release I Play Rocky in limited theaters on Nov. 6, followed by a wider release on Nov. 20.
Why it matters: Amazon MGM gains a built-in Rocky connection through James’s tribute just as it prepares the Nov. 6 limited theatrical release and Nov. 20 wider rollout. The film had already drawn critical raves and Oscar buzz since its early-September Toronto premiere, so the dated expansion arrives with both personal franchise resonance and pre-release acclaim.
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