The highly anticipated Los Angeles premiere of Jennifer Lopez's latest cinematic offering, titled "Unstoppable," unfortunately met with cancellation on Tuesday, January 7, amidst a whirlwind of fire and wind-driven chaos that gripped the city. Amazon MGM Studios, the film's distributor, issued a statement to PEOPLE, citing the cancellation at the DGA Theater due to "today's heightened safety concerns surrounding intense wind conditions and fire outbreaks in Los Angeles." The statement further conveyed, "Although we were eagerly looking forward to celebrating this remarkable and inspiring cinematic endeavor with you, safety remains our paramount priority. We appreciate your understanding and urge everyone to stay safe."
Additionally, the TCL Chinese Theatre premiere of Universal Pictures' horror flick "Wolf Man," starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, also fell victim to the cancellation spree.
On Monday, the Los Angeles National Weather Service had warned residents of an impending "life-threatening" and "destructive" windstorm destined to strike Southern California, bringing along a severe fire risk. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the cause of the Pacific Palisades fire is still under investigation. Early Tuesday morning, residents living in the hillside neighborhoods received evacuation orders.
L.A. authorities revealed that the fire had rapidly spread to nearly 800 acres by 2:20 p.m. local time. Over 250 L.A. firefighters swiftly responded to the unfolding crisis.
"Unstoppable," directed by William Goldenberg and produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, narrates the inspiring true tale of wrestler Anthony Robles, born with one leg, portrayed movingly by Jharrel Jerome in the film. Following its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the sports biopic enjoyed a limited theatrical release on December 6 and will commence streaming on Prime Video from January 16.
Co-stars Don Cheadle, Michael Peña, and Mykelti Williamson were also set to grace the Tuesday red carpet event. Jerome, 27, and Lopez, 55, who plays Robles' mother Judy, last promoted "Unstoppable" at a Los Angeles screening on December 15. Lopez kicked off the new year with a red carpet debut at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 4, where she was honored with one of Variety's Creative Impact Awards.
