'The Unbreakable Boy' Finally Comes to Theaters After Lionsgate Delayed its Release for Years

It's never convenient to experience delays and speedbumps, but if any film has proven to be "unbreakable," it's this one.

A February 21st, 2025 theatrical debut must've been a dream come true, except now the film is facing down animated films Dog Man and Paddington in Peru (the latter coming out on Valentine's Day, February 14th). Both of which are family-friendly films that could offer stiff competition to the film.

Does it have a chance?

Here is the new trailer.

The film stars Zachary Levi, Jacob Laval (now 17 years old), and Patricia Heaton and it was directed by Jon Gunn, when Kingdom Story Company was in it's infancy, just coming out of the hit, I Can Only Imagine. This film is certainly a lesson to the kids in the film (which was filmed four years ago) that filmmaking can be a long-gestating project, and so to be grateful when things can happen.

Moving forward with such projects can be like watching miracles happen. And this film is no exception. It was filmed during the 2020 COVID protocols for film, in and around Oklahoma, a state which proved itself to Gunn as a worthy state for faith-based film. So much so that he came back less than a year later for the Kurt Warner story American Underdog, stating, "I need a home-field advantage... I love the spirit of Oklahoma. There's just a can-do middle-American grit to Oklahoma."

That's right, the film American Underdog was filmed AFTER this film, and has already been released for four years now. Both movies were filmed back-to-back with virtually the same team and with Zachary Levi as the star of both. But the release for these films was a world of difference. Lionsgate delayed Unbreakable's release, planned for 2022, only eight days before its release. That could have felt like a punishment. Then, years later, in January 2024, Lionsgate finally gave us the current release date it now has, February 21, 2025.

Quite a shift in schedules.

I mean, did they lose the film in the cushions of their couch?

The Oklahoman reports.

Faith-based filmmakers drop trailer for Oklahoma-made movie ‘Unbreakable Boy:’ What to know

The long-awaited trailer follows the news that Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company also are planning a sequel to their hit film \

The Oklahoman, The Oklahoman

Thank goodness this is an unbreakable film.

Based on a true story of a boy who was not only autistic but also had brittle bone disease and the faith from his father that kept him going. It's based on the book called The Unbreakable Boy: A Father's Fear, A Son's Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love.

Kingdom Story Company, the producer of the film is helmed by The Erwin Brothers, which is also filming a sequel to their hit film, I Can Only Imagine in and around Oklahoma.

Here's another great trailer.

Sounds like a tear-jerker for the growing numbers of faith-based fans out there.

Ultimately this story isn't about stepping inside the mind of this autistic kid, nor does it claim to be an expert on autism. Barely is anybody an expert on spectrum disorders, because they are so difficult to wrap your head around (I say this as a father of an autistic kid, myself), but it is about a family that resolves to stay together and work together to make a difference in this kids life, and protect him from what he is uniquely challenged by.

A worthy story on the subject.

Here's a small video about the story behind the film, and a little bit on making it.

I can personally say, that my son's disorder may not have manifested in the exact same way as the boy in this story, based on what I see in the trailers, but there are unique similarities that I noticed from these trailers. And being that the story is written by a father with an autistic child, he is best qualified to speak on his son's disorder.

So, we will see if this film can withstand the enormous challenges of taking on the animated films, Dog Man (which has already been released, and is doing gangbusters) and Paddington in Peru (which has proven to be a success a few times already), let's hope it remains as unbreakable as it claims to be. At least the lead actor (Jacob Laval) who played the kid will be happy to finally see it. A few more years and he would be an adult, wondering if his story had been left behind.

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Did you enjoy this article on the upcoming film Unbreakable Boy? Will you be watching the film and hoping it will remain unbreakable at the box office? What do you think about the delays in release or about Jon Gunn, as a filmmaker? Let us know down below (with sub) or on our social media!