Stephan James Honors Carl Weathers in a Recreated 1979 White Suit

Stephan James arrived at AFI Fest on Saturday in a white three-piece suit that Carl Weathers wore to the "Rocky II" premiere in Philadelphia. The suit is a custom remake by King & Bay, the Toronto bespoke house whose tailors reproduced the original piece for piece. James stars as Weathers in Peter Farrelly's "I Play Rocky," which screened at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

"This is a three-piece custom King & Bay bespoke suit," James said on the red carpet. "My friends in Toronto at King & Bay remade this suit for me because Carl Weathers wore the exact same suit to the 'Rocky II' premiere in Philadelphia. It was a three-piece white suit, and I had them remake it so I can literally walk in his shoes yet again."

Where did the idea come from?

The concept came from James's publicist, Samantha Hill. James added one change of his own: a rose brooch on the lapel. "Carl had an actual rose, so this is my little twist on it," he said. "I'm doing something a little more timeless with a brooch."

Who was Carl Weathers on screen?

Weathers played fighter Apollo Creed, who fought Rocky Balboa in the first two "Rocky" films, coached him in the third, and died in "Rocky IV" during a match against Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. Weathers died in 2024. "I Play Rocky" chronicles the making of Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" in 1976, with Anthony Ippolito playing Stallone.

James also recounted a conversation with Michael B. Jordan, who played Apollo Creed's son across the three "Creed" films, after he won the role. "'Hey, I'm gonna be your daddy, Mike. I'm gonna be your daddy,'" James said he told him. "So yeah, we had to talk."

What does the film's release schedule look like?

• Premiered in early September at the Toronto International Film Festival
• Distributed by Amazon MGM
• Limited theatrical release on Nov. 6
• Wider release on Nov. 20

The film has drawn critical raves and early Oscar buzz since its Toronto premiere, positioning James's tribute as more than a red-carpet gesture. With awards season ahead, the recreated suit ties the film's promotion directly to the actor whose story it tells — and whose shoes, as James put it, he can literally walk in yet again.