Zendaya is down at the tennis courts in Luca Guadagnino‘s latest romance. In the film, the “Euphoria” Emmy winner plays tennis player-turned-coach Tashi who oversees her husband Art’s (Mike Faist) career. But when Art winds up on a losing streak, he is forced to play against his childhood best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend (Josh O’Connor), igniting a tense love triangle with queer undertones. The film is written by Justin Kuritzkes.
Director Guadagnino revealed that the cast trained for three months with former professional tennis player Brad Gilbert, who served as a consultant on the film. The “Bones and All” filmmaker added that Zendaya‘s body double was not used in the final cut of the tennis scenes.
“I think those three characters in that movie are beautifully complex and really fucked-up people that I love very much. And a sports film, why not?,” the Oscar winner previously told IndieWire. “It’s hyperkinetic, and I do films, so it’s great.”
According to Guadagnino, “Challengers” is his “first comedy,” with production set in Boston. The “fairly fizzy, sexy,” according to the director, movie is produced by Guadagnino, Zendaya, Amy Pascal, and Rachel O’Connor, with Bernard Bellew and Kevin Ulrich executive producing. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are behind the music, with United Artists distributing.
The film’s first trailer plays up both the sexy undertones of the story, and also indicates that the feature will hinge on at least two time periods, complete with the current-day storyline and looks back at when the trio first meet (and mingle) as rising teen stars, before an injury seems to take Tashi out of the game.
Guadagnino’s last film was “Bones and All,” which played the Venice Film Festival in fall 2022. “Challengers” is also expected to drop on the Lido, where Guadagnino’s films regularly show up.
“Challengers” premieres September 15 in theaters. Check out the film’s first trailer below.
