Actors Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome are confirmed to star in the highly anticipated wrestling biopic Unstoppable. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie chronicles the life of American wrestler-turned-author Anthony Robles. The first-look images from the film, directed by William Goldenberg, have been released by Amazon MGM Studios.
The film centers on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles (played by Jharrel Jerome), who, despite being born with one leg, went on to win a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University. Jennifer Lopez takes on the role of Anthony's mother, Judy, with Bobby Cannavale portraying his father, Rick. The cast also includes Michael Pena as coach Bobby Williams and Don Cheadle as wrestling coach Shawn Charles.
The film's official synopsis reads, "Anthony Robles, despite being born without a right leg, rises to become a NCAA Division 1 Champion wrestler ultimately winning a national championship against the school that rejected him, national powerhouse Iowa."
Unstoppable was produced by Jennifer Lopez's husband Ben Affleck. He co-owns his production company Artists Equity with Matt Damon. Anthony Robles also took on a production role for the film and served as Jharrel Jerome's stunt double, executing the intricate wrestling moves himself.
Unstoppable marks William Goldenberg's directorial debut. He has won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the 2013 film Argo. He has also received Oscar nominations for his works The Imitation Game, Zero Dark Thirty, Seabiscuit, and The Insider.
The biopic, inspired by Anthony Robles and Dana Murphy's book Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Following the premiere, the film will be released in select theatres in December, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.