We never thought a collab between "Euphoria [1]" and "The Crown" would result in a pro tennis tournament [2], but here we are. On Feb. 11, MGM announced that Zendaya [3] and Josh O'Connor are starring side by side in Luca Guadagnino's new romantic drama titled "Challengers." The movie — which is written by playwright Justin Kuritzkes — is produced by Zendaya [4], Guadagnino, and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" producer Amy Pascal.
In the first trailer for the film, which MGM dropped on June 20, Zendaya appears as up-and-coming tennis star Tashi Duncan. She meets two other young athletes on the circuit, played by O'Connor and Faist, and they quickly get entangled in a threesome. When Tashi is injured, Faist's character rushes to her side. She pivots her tennis career to become his coach — and wife. All is well until O'Connor's Patrick comes back into their lives years later. The entire high-energy clip is soundtracked by Rihanna [5]'s "S&M."
In an Aug. 23 interview with Elle, [6] Zendaya opened up about taking on the more "grown-up" role as her career moves into the next phase. "It was a little bit scary to take on, which I think is a good feeling. To be like, 'Ooh, can I do this?'" she explained. "You could run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, 'You know what, f*ck it.'"
One of the hardest parts for the actor was, perhaps not surprisingly, pretending to play tennis like a champion. "The more I had to pretend to do tennis in front of a camera with an audience, the more terrified I felt. And I was not even using a real ball," she said. "I'm just doing the form and footwork and getting my swing right and doing it in front of a whole bunch of people as if it's the US Open, and I'm terrified."
She also opened up about her character of Tashi and all the intricacies and contradictions she found in her. "I still don't understand the decisions she makes, and we had so many conversations about the psychology of her and why she is that way," she explained. "What was important to me was that she was unapologetic about it." She added that she knew she had to jump at the opportunity to play a character who's "messy and conflicted" and wields "power" over others.
Find out more about the upcoming film ahead, including the full plot and release date, and stream the trailer.
"Challengers" Plot
According to Variety [8], "Challengers" takes a look at the competitive world of tennis [9] through the eyes of player-turned-coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya [10]). Through years of coaching, Tashi has turned her husband, Art (Faist), into a Grand Slam tennis champion. When Art becomes caught in a losing streak, Tashi attempts to help him find his groove again by enrolling him in a "Challenger" event at the lowest pro tournament level. During the competition, Art must go up against Patrick (O'Connor), aka Tashi's ex-boyfriend and former best friend.
"Challengers" Cast
Zendaya [11] appears as tennis player Tashi Duncan, alongside O'Connor as Art and Faist as Patrick.
"Challengers" Release Date
"Challengers," from director Guadagnino (pictured here), was originally set to premiere in theaters on Sept. 15, however, it has since been pushed back to April 26, 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike [12].