PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Art Museum steps closed temporarily on Wednesday for the filming of "I Play Rocky."

The forthcoming Sylvester Stallone biopic has been filming in Philadelphia and New Jersey in recent weeks. But of course, no film about the making of "Rocky" could be complete without the legendary running shot up the museum stairs.

Star Anthony Ippolito, who plays Stallone, donned the signature black beanie and gray tracksuit as he bounced around, arms in midair, on the chilly fall afternoon.

The Rocky statue atop the steps — a duplicate of the one at the base from sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg — was moved to accommodate the filming.

(Yes, there are two Rocky statues on view. Yet another will be installed at Philadelphia International Airport, a fact that’s been hotly debated among Philadelphians who find the fixation on the fictional boxer tiring, particularly given Stallone’s support of President Donald Trump.)

Some tourists on Wednesday were disappointed that they couldn’t re-create the moment themselves on their trip to the city. But they did get to see behind the scenes of the film, which is expected to hit theaters in 2026, marking the film’s 50-year anniversary.

It follows the real-life journey of Stallone in the 1970s, then a struggling actor, as he pitched the script he wrote about a boxing underdog — but only on the condition that he play the star himself.

Peter Farrelly ("Green Book") directs the Amazon MGM film, which also features Matt Dillon as the actor’s father, Frank Stallone; "If Beale Street Could Talk’s" Stephan James as Carl Weathers, the legend behind Apollo Creed; and AnnaSophia Robb ("Little Fires Everywhere") playing Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack.

Stallone is not involved with the production.

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