Sylvester Stallone, Rupert Murdoch biopics among projects coming to TIFF

By: Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press Posted:

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TORONTO - Biopics about Sylvester Stallone, Rupert Murdoch and Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve will play at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

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TORONTO – Biopics about Sylvester Stallone, Rupert Murdoch and Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve will play at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

“I Play Rocky,” directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Anthony Ippolito as Stallone, will get its world premiere at the festival.

It’s one of dozens of films TIFF announced as part of its gala and special presentation programs on Monday.

A still from
A still from "I Play Rocky," directed by Peter Farrelly. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-TIFF (Mandatory Credit)

Also playing in Toronto is “Ink,” Danny Boyle’s film that’s set to open the Venice International Film Festival just before TIFF kicks off.

It stars Guy Pearce as Murdoch and focuses on his impact on tabloid journalism.

The festival will also feature “Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend,” a biopic about the Canadian F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve who won six Grands Prix in six seasons before dying in a crash.

The movie from director Yan Lanouette Turgeon will be the closing night film.

Also programmed at the festival is “Fjord,” a Norway-set drama about political polarization, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in March.

Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy “The Debut,” about a housewife cast in a community theatre production, and Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” about a gay theatre actor diagnosed with AIDS in 1980s New York, will also play at TIFF.

Meanwhile Lauren Miller Rogen’s sophomore film “Babies” will have its world premiere in Toronto.

The film stars Miller Rogen’s husband, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick as a married couple trying to decide whether to have children.

The 51st edition of TIFF runs from Sept. 10 to 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2026.

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