Amazon MGM Studios and Universal have pulled the plug on the Tuesday premieres of “Unstoppable” and “Wolf Man,” respectively, amid strong winds affecting Southern California and the fast-moving fire in the Pacific Palisades.
The Times confirmed that “Unstoppable” stars including Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome will no longer gather Tuesday evening for a red-carpet screening in West Hollywood. “As much as we are looking forward to celebrating this wonderful and inspiring film, safety is our first priority,” Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement.
Lopez, Jerome and co-stars Don Cheadle, Michael Peña and Mykelti Williamson were expected to attend the Tuesday red carpet and screening at the Directors Guild of America headquarters, Variety reported. College wrestling champion Anthony Robles, whose story inspired “Unstoppable,” reportedly also was set to attend the premiere with mother Judy Robles and director William Goldenberg.
Shortly after news of the “Unstoppable” premiere cancellation broke, Universal announced it would cancel its “Wolf Man” celebration. That premiere, set to take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, was canceled “due to sensitivities around the worsening weather situation” in Los Angeles and evacuations related to the Palisades fire, Deadline reported. “Wolf Man,” directed by Leigh Whannell, stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner and Matilda Firth.
The pair of canceled L.A. premieres is seemingly the first batch of Hollywood events affected by the unusual “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm that began Tuesday morning. The gusts set the stage for a 200-acre brush fire in that broke out around 10:30 a.m. near Piedra Morada Drive. Flames were pushed by intense wind gusts that officials had warned could fuel any spark into a fast-moving and erratic wildfire. The blaze had grown to more than 1,200 acres by the afternoon and prompted thousands of residents to evacuate the area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Capt. Erik Scott, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson, said that some homes had burned in the fire, but a precise estimate was not immediately available.
Over the next two days, Southern California will experience dry, unpredictable and strong winds — possibly gusting up to 100 mph in some parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service has warned. Amid a parched landscape, the major wind event is again bringing particularly dangerous fire conditions — meaning that if a fire sparks, it could quickly spread into an erratic, fast-moving wildfire.
The region remains under severe red flag warnings as dry, unpredictable and strong offshore winds pick up across the region. The National Weather Service said strong north winds are expected around the fire through at least Wednesday, with speeds peaking Tuesday night from 35 mph to 60 mph.
It’s currently unclear whether the premieres for “Unstoppable” and “Wolf Man” will be rescheduled for a later date.
“Unstoppable” will be available to stream on Prime Video starting Jan. 16. “Wolf Man” hits theaters Jan. 17.
Times staff writers Grace Toohey, Noah Haggerty, Noah Goldberg and Hannah Fry contributed to this report.
