- Now on Netflix, The Game Changers will announce China distribution deal next, says former UFC fighter James Wilks
- Lewis Hamilton, Chris Paul and Novak Djokovic among stars behind film that features champion athletes such as Patrik Babouman
Is there about to be a vegan revolution in sport? Former UFC fighter James Wilks believes there is.
The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner is the producer of The Game Changers, a documentary on vegan athletes that arrives on Netflix on October 16.
Wilks had several fights in the UFC before retiring in 2012 from the Octagon because of injuries. He has since turned vegan and made a living by training US Navy Seals and US Marines.
Filming for The Game Changers started after his retirement from mixed martial arts and kicked on after meeting Oscar-winning director of The Cove documentary, Louie Psihoyos.
The athletes featured in the film cover the full range of sports, with Germany's strongest man Patrik Babouman the poster boy.
Other champion athletes include US cyclist Dottie Bausch, weightlifter Kendrick Farris and boxer Bryant Jennings. Ultramarathoner Scott Jurik and Australian 400m runner Morgan Mitchell also feature, as does Tennessee Titans NFL footballer Derrick Morgan and former NFL players Griff Whalen and Lou Smith.
The Game Changers is the best-selling documentary of ALL TIME on iTunes…and it took less than a week! Thank you to everyone who has watched the film and taken the time to share your excitement with us!#TeamGameChangers pic.twitter.com/xNYTm30ECr
" The Game Changers (@gcmovie) October 9, 2019
Released on iTunes earlier this month, The Game Changers became its top selling documentary of all time in under a week and it threatens to blow up even more now it is available to 150 million Netflix subscribers. There's potential for even more viewers.
Wilks told Plant Based News on YouTube that they are about to announce their China distribution deal, with a platform that is "twice as many viewers as Netflix" and will be promoted by another executive producer, Jackie Chan.
Chan is "holding off to promote until it comes out there", Wilks said.
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Another huge congrats to our executive producer @lewishamilton for his triumph today at the Russian Grand Prix, which marks his 82nd career win and his fourth in Russia With his championship lead at 73 points, Lewis is still firmly on track for his best F1 season ever! #teamgamechangers #lewishamilton #plantbasedathlete #russiangp
A post shared by The Game Changers (@gamechangersmovie) on Sep 29, 2019 at 9:47am PDT
Executive producer Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton features in the film, as well as fellow executive producers Chris Paul and Novak Djokovic. The Serbian tennis star has only recently spoken out about his plant-based diet, despite having eaten that way for several years.
Wilks thinks the film may inspire more athletes to reveal themselves as following a plant-based diet.
"Because of the stigma against veganism, there's a lot of people that we've spoken to that have had a hard time coming out about it. it's almost like they are in the closet," Wilks said.
"We've had celebrities, famous musicians, that have said 'our whole band is plant based and has been for years but we don't want to come out yet but when your film comes out we'll start telling people'.
"We've also had athletes that we've approached that have been eating this way for a long time and don't even want to tell anybody.
That is not because of the stigma. "They didn't want to give away their advantage. Some people said, "'I don't want to let this out. Until it's really mainstream, I'd rather keep this advantage".
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A historic day for #TeamGameChangers plant-powered athletes! Gladiator @djokernole wins @Wimbledon for the FIFTH time & titan @lewishamilton wins the British Grand Prix for a record-breaking SIXTH time! TAG a friend who didn't know these champs are plant-based! . . + + + Click the link in our bio to Get Tickets to our Sep 16th Premiere! (+ folks - tickets available soon!) . . #gamechangersmovie #novakdjokovic #lewishamilton #wimbledon2019 #F1 #Formula1 #tennis #wimbledon #novak #plantbasedathletes #plantbaseddiet #plantpowered
A post shared by The Game Changers (@gamechangersmovie) on Jul 14, 2019 at 1:55pm PDT
Wilks said these secret vegans include NBA and NFL athletes. "There's some pretty major athletes eating this way that just don't want to announce it."
He is confident that seeing the film might cause some people to change their minds, name checking UFC's carnivore-in-chief Joe Rogan, who he expects to join in the studio soon.
"I think Joe talks too much about veganism for it not to be at the back of his mind. He talks about it more than I do."
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Who's watching Novak Djokovic defend his title at the @Wimbledon Final tomorrow? Yesterday @djokernole responded to questions about his plant-based diet and role as Executive Producer for #TheGameChangers. So honored to have Nole on #TeamGameChangers! . . + + + Click the link in our bio to Get Tickets to our Sep 16th Premiere! (+ folks - tickets available soon!) . . #gamechangersmovie #tennis #wimbledon #novak #novakdjokovic #wimbledon2019 #plantbaseddiet
A post shared by The Game Changers (@gamechangersmovie) on Jul 13, 2019 at 12:34pm PDT
"I think the ones that talk about it that much are the ones that end up switching. I do actually think that Joe is going to make a switch in the coming years and go plant based.
Other films, such as What The Health, have been credited by a number of athletes for fuelling their decision to go vegan.
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