Sylvester Stallone Looks Back At His Life And Career In Netflix's Sly Documentary Trailer

Who is Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone? Depending on your age, he's Rocky Balboa, John Rambo, Lieutenant Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, Lincoln Hawk, or maybe even The Toymaker in "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over." If you're a diehard film nut, he's the third person ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for writing and acting in the same year, following Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. If you're Italian-American, he's a golden God to whom all our fathers pray. And if you're just Ken, he's the definitive measure of American masculinity. For nearly half a century, Sylvester Stallone has been a mainstay of U.S. cinema, and his genuine rags-to-riches underdog tale is one of the most inspirational and aspirational career stories in Hollywood history.

Now, Netflix is releasing a new documentary called "Sly" that chronicles Stallone's career and provides an intimate look at the Renaissance Man behind the multi-million dollar franchises. Directed by Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Thom Zimny, "Sly" features exclusive interviews with Stallone himself, as well as "Rocky" costar Talia Shire, fellow acting legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, director Quentin Tarantino, and brother Frank Stallone Jr., just to name a few. According to an interview with People Magazine, the film also features moments of Stallone revisiting old press interviews from early in his career, reflecting on (and even reprimanding) how he behaved as a much younger man.

Stallone carved a place for himself as an action superstar, which means people often forget that he's a brilliant writer, poet, and filmmaker. Fortunately, "Sly" has not forgotten, and the film also looks to highlight the creative spirit and artistry behind the distinctive voice and muscular frame. You can watch the film's trailer above.

It's hard to imagine a world that didn't understand at first glance that Sylvester Stallone was a superstar, but the Italian Stallion famously struggled to find his footing in an industry that didn't initially understand him. "The rejection was my encouragement," he is shown saying in the "Sly" trailer. At the same time, Stallone has had a rocky (no pun intended) personal life, often blasted into the tabloids and ripe for gossip fodder. To be clear — the man is not infallible, and it doesn't seem like the documentary is trying to paint him as such, either. But since Stallone is heavily involved in the production of this documentary, it'll be interesting to see whether or not the film tackles some of his more extreme legal allegations.

However, based on the trailer, it looks as if the film will dedicate a lot of time to exploring Stallone the man, and not just Stallone the movie star. "He's done a lot of work on himself in understanding who he is as an artist and a family man," Zimny told People. "From the experience of being around the household and getting a sense of their home while filming, the filmmaker in me recognized that he had great love for his family and great love for his wife."

"Sly" arrives on Netflix on November 3, 2023.