Jarel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez Pursue Wrestling Glory in Inspirational ‘The Expendables’ Trailer

The sports biopic, created by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, stars Jarel Jerome as real-life wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg.

The extraordinary real-life story of wrestler Anthony Robles is getting what it deserves on the big screen.

Jarel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez to play Anthony and his mother, Judy Robles, respectively, in the sports biopic Unrestrained (in theaters December 6). As the newly released trailer reveals, it’s an inspiring story about an Arizona-born athlete who was born with one leg to become a champion.

“Why are you fighting?” asks Anthony’s trainer Bobby Williams, played by Michael Peña, in the trailer.

“When people look at me, the first thing they see is what’s missing,” replies Anthony of Jerome, who can be seen going toe-to-toe with his fellow wrestlers in and out of the ring. “If I win, having one leg won’t be the most important thing for me.”

related: Jennifer Lopez compares her debut at the Toronto festival Hustlers to Unrestrained: “Room of Luck” (exclusive)

Ben Affleck and Matt Damonwith his production company Artists Equity, are among the producers for Unrestraineddirected by William Goldenberg and costars Don Cheadle as Arizona coach Sean Charles and Bobby Cannavale as Anthony Rich’s stepfather.

Also the film’s producer and consultant is 36-year-old Robles, who in 2011 — spoiler! — won the NCAA individual national championship in the 125-pound weight class. His 2012 memoir, The Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Championwas adapted for the screen by Eric Champnella, Alex Harris and John Hindman.

At the screening of the film on September 6 Toronto International Film Festival Premiere, 2012 Awarded the “For Courage” medal. told PEOPLE about working with such acclaimed directors. “The worst thing for me is the loss of control and have faith,” he said. “But with this amazing group of people, we knew we could trust them, and we knew that the integrity of the story, its message, and my family would be safe with this group.”

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Jerome, 27, spent years training to accurately play the athlete on screen and training with him in the ring; Robles even serves as Jerome’s understudy in many of the fight scenes. “It’s basically my first time going far beyond the character that I’m trying to be,” he said When they see us Emmy winner. “Anthony and I became friends. I went to his house in Arizona. I spent time with him in his backyard grilling with his family.”

related: Ben Affleck spends time with his kids in Los Angeles as Jennifer Lopez attends the premiere of their new movie in Toronto

Lopez, 55, told PEOPLE in Toronto that depicting the “dysfunctional and unhealthy” relationship between her and Cannavale’s married characters helped make the film Unrestrained“very cathartic”, as she said “Women who are mothers get into relationships and you struggle with them and you find yourself in a dynamic that’s not healthy, but you care about the person, you love them… It’s this complex life dynamic that I understand very well. »

Unrestrained in theaters on December 6.

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Read the original article at People.