Between spider web-slinging and tennis racket swinging, is there anything Zendaya can’t do?
The Spider-Man: No Way Home star is stepping into another action-packed role but this time, she’s putting her athletic abilities to the test in the tennis-focused Challengers movie.
First announced in February 2022, the Zendaya-led film follows a pro tennis player named Tashi who finds herself entangled in a love triangle with her current husband and former boyfriend. Meanwhile, her past and present lovers have a history — and rivalry — on the court.
While many plot details have been kept under wraps, the official Challengers synopsis suggests that the romantic sports comedy film won’t be short of competition, drama and love.
Zendaya also reunited with Amy Pascal, who worked on Spider-Man: No Way Home, on the film, who served as a producer alongside executive producers Bernard Bellew and Kevin Ulrich.
Here’s everything to know about the tennis film Challengers.
Challengers is billed as a romantic sports comedy film that explores an intense love triangle entangling a professional tennis player and former tennis rivals. Competition — and drama — ensue both on and off the court as their past and present collide.
According to the official film synopsis, Challengers follows “three players who knew each other when they were teenagers as they compete in a tennis tournament to be the world-famous grand slam winner and reignite old rivalries on and off the court.”
Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is the player at the center of it all, a former tennis prodigy turned coach who is an unapologetic force of nature in the sport and at the game of love. She’s married to a champion on a losing streak, who must compete against a washed-up player who also happens to be his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
In addition to Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor round out Challengers’ lead cast. Faist plays Art, Tashi’s husband and fellow tennis player. O’Connor plays Patrick, Tashi’s former love interest and Art’s former rival on the court.
Mike Faist is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Connor Murphy in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. His credits span television, film and theater. Recently, he played the leader of the Jets in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story.
O’Connor is a British actor best known for his portrayal of Prince Charles in The Crown on Netflix. Prior, he was regarded for his role in Francis Lee’s drama film God’s Own Country. He’s received several awards including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Challengers was directed by Luca Guadagnino. He is best known for helming 2017’s Call Me by Your Name starring Timothée Chalamet. The coming-of-age drama received four nominations at the Academy Awards, winning in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
In October 2022, Guadagnino opened up about Zendaya’s ability to adapt as an actress, specifically raving about her learned tennis skills for the role in Challengers. “She’s wonderful,” Guadagnino told Variety at the 2022 Academy Museum Gala.
“I mean, wow. We edited the movie and we almost actually don’t use any of her double. She’s so good,” he continued. “They spent like three months working very hard,” Guadagnino said of his leads in the film. “Everybody – technically, athletically.”
Challengers aside, Guadagnino’s latest project, Bones and All, saw his return with Chalamet. The actor, along with Taylor Russell, starred in a cannibal love story that premiered in November 2022. The film was based on the Camille DeAngelis novel of the same name.
Chalamet, who starred opposite Zendaya in Dune, also raved about his former costar’s performance in Challengers. Without wanting to reveal too much, he told Variety that he “loved it.” He also opened up about the connection he has not only working alongside Zendaya but Guadagnino as well.
“She’s really become a sister. I’m so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend,” he said of Zendaya. “And also to share stories about how amazing it is to work with Luca, because we worked with him back to back on wildly different projects.”
Is Challengers based on a true story?
Guadagnino’s “first comedy,” Challengers is not based on a true story. He described the fictional tennis telling as “beautiful complex” when speaking with IndieWire at the Provincetown Film Festival in October 2022. He also called it “a fairly fizzy, sexy movie about the world of tennis.”
“I think those three characters in that movie are beautifully complex and really f—d up people that I love very much,” Guadagnino told the outlet. “And a sports film, why not? It’s hyperkinetic, and I do films, so it’s great.”
But while Challengers isn’t based on a true story, the athleticism in the film is very much real. Guadagnino told Variety that Zendaya trained for three months with pro tennis coach and former player Brad Gilbert (who also served as a consultant on the film.)
Is there a Challengers trailer?
The first official trailer for Challengers was released on June 20, 2023. The clip gave viewers a highly-anticipated look at Zendaya in the romantic sports comedy film.
When did Challengers film?
Challengers was first announced in February 2022, began filming that May and wrapped in June 2023. Production primarily took place in Boston.
When does Challengers premiere?
[via]
