Is Prime Video’s Unstoppable based on a true story? Explained
Unstoppable is a biographical sports drama film directed by William Goldenberg from a screenplay by Eric Campanella, Alex Harris, and John Hindman. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations section on September 6, 2024, and was later released theatrically on December 6, 2024.
The film tells the true story of NCAA Division I wrestling champion Anthony Robles, who achieved this feat despite being born without a leg and overcoming numerous obstacles along the way. Amazon MGM Pictures distributed the film, which is currently available to stream on Prime Video.
The film stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles, while Jennifer Lopez plays Anthony's mother, Judy Robles. Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Shawn Hatosy, and Don Cheadle, among several others.
Unstoppable is based on the life of Anthony Robles
Anthony Robles was born with only one leg in La Mirada, California. But despite this, he went on to become a champion wrestler and compete in the NCAA Division I wrestling. His inspiring story is now told in William Goldenberg's latest venture, Unstoppable.
Goldenberg is a well-known editor who won an Academy Award in this category for the 2012 film Argo. The biographical sports drama is his directorial debut. Talking about choosing Robles' story to make his debut with ABC Action News, he said
"I fell in love with the story and then met Anthony Robles. He's an incredible person. I've never been more impressed by somebody in my life. I thought once I met him, 'Okay, I'm doing this."
Anthony Robles wrestled for Arizona State University and later won the 2011 NCAA individual wrestling national championship in the 125-pound weight class. He later chronicled his story in the 2012 book Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion.
He was also involved in the making of the film, explained Goldenberg.
"He was involved in everything from the screenwriting to picking Jharrel as the lead. He had something to say about it. We wanted to make sure they bonded because he trained Jharrel to wrestle."
Plot and cast of Unstoppable
Unstoppable is available for streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Here's how the platform describes the plot:
"Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles who was born with one leg but whose unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams."
It continues:
"With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team on his quest to become an NCAA Champion."
Below is the list of actors and the roles they play in the film.
- Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles
- Jennifer Lopez as Judy Robles
- Bobby Cannavale as Rich
- Michael Peña as Bobby Williams
- Don Cheadle as Sean Charles
- Shawn Hatosy as Tom Brands
- Chimechi Oparanozie as Brian Corwin
- Noen Perez as Nicholas Robels
- Carlos Solorzano as Andrew Robles
- Julianne Gamiz as Ronnie Robles
- Elijah James as Joshua Bo Robles
- Johnni DiJulius as McDonough
- Parker Sack as Dorian
- Jordan Wallace as Walker
- Benjamin Barrett as Solis
- Corey Jantzen as Mararian
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Unstoppable and other films and TV shows on Amazon Prime Video as the year unfolds.
