Real Steel is a 2011 American science fiction sports film starring Hugh Jackman. It is based on the short story "Steel", written by Richard Matheson, originally published in the May 1956 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and later adapted into a 1963 Twilight Zone episode. The film was in development for several years before production began on June 24, 2010. It received middling reviews from critics, but criticized the formulaic plot.