Challengers, the much-anticipated tennis romance film, starring Zendaya, has officially been pushed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
- Earlier slated to release in theaters on Sep 15, 2023, Challengers will hit big screens in 2024.
- Brad Gilbert, a former professional tennis player turned coach, worked with Zendaya for three months while she prepared for her part.
It’s strange that sports movies are deemed a genre when, in reality, they’re merely a setting. The best sports movies are independent of the sport they show, with universal stories that should appeal to anybody, regardless of whether they enjoy the sport. Therefore, we have come up with a new sports movie for you all.
Challengers is an upcoming American romantic sports comedy film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. It focuses on a famous tennis player whose wife and coach decide to enter him in a Challenger event where he will face his wife’s ex-lover while on a losing run.
The release date has been pushed to 2024, but with Zendaya in the cast, it’s impossible to remain calm. Therefore, this article will walk you through everything you need to know about Challengers.
When Does Challengers Premiere?
Backed By MGM studio, the much-anticipated tennis romance film, starring Zendaya, has officially been pushed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The movie was set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2023. It was set to release in theaters on Sep 15, 2023. Challengers will now premiere in theaters on April 26, 2024.
MGM released a statement about the change in release date. “After thoughtful consideration with our partners, and given the parameters that SAG-AFTRA has outlined for its membership, we have made the decision to withdraw Challengers from this year’s Venice International Film Festival,” the organization wrote. “We look forward to celebrating the film when we can do so with our ensemble cast, director Luca Guadagnino and the filmmaking team at a later date.”
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What is Challengers About?
Intrigue was high from the get-go since the movie was initially described as a sports rom-com. There are few movies that are sports rom-com, but this one might be the best of its sort to date, given the cast behind it.
Challengers, a tennis drama set in the competitive world of professional tennis, follows Tashi Donaldson (Zendaya), a former player turned coach who, until recently, had helped her husband Art (Mike Faist) become a perfect player. But, when Art has a losing run, he enters a low-league challenger tournament to recover his confidence.
He acknowledges to play Patrick, Tashi’s ex-boyfriend and their high school best buddy, on the way, which ignites a complicated love triangle. Fans can expect little queer undertones from the film.
Who stars in Challengers?
The presence of the world-famous star Zendaya has garnered the most attention for this upcoming film. Zendaya plays Tashi, who recently won her second Best Actress Emmy for the movie Euphoria. Her spouse, Art Donaldson, is portrayed by Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story actor Mike Faist. Moreover, Josh O’Connor from The Crown fame plays Patrick, Art’s childhood best friend and Tashi’s ex.
Is there any trailer?
Yes, there is and it promises crazy stuff. The trailer promises a messy messy love triangle between Zendaya and her husband and ex-boyfriend.
More About Challengers
The principal photography commenced in Boston on May 3, 2022. Locals were invited to attend an audition to play tennis players, extras, and stand-ins. Brad Gilbert, a former professional tennis player turned coach, worked with Zendaya for three months while she prepared for her part. In June, the project came to an end. Brad Gilbert is also a consultant for the movie.
Challengers is helmed by Luca Guadagnino best known for directing the romantic movie Call Me by Your Name. While Warner Bros. Pictures serves as the film’s international distributor, the film will not receive a theatrical release in France and will instead stream on Amazon Prime Video.
