Zendaya’s new movie Challengers has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2024. The film is helmed by Luca Guadagnino and stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor alongside Zendaya. The trailer was released recently, upping fan expectations since the plot revolves around a 3-way love affair.
Zendaya plays the role of Tashi Duncan, a rising tennis star. Duncan quickly gets roped into a relationship with fellow players Patrick (O’Connor) and Art (Faist). While it starts as something playful, complications are not far behind.
While Fans might think of the movie as a steamy love affair, the actors warn us that most of the action happens on the tennis court. “The tennis is the s*x,” said O’Connor about the plot.
‘CHALLENGERS’ has been delayed to April 26, 2024 pic.twitter.com/3a0oi8YOhh
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 21, 2023
“Those moments are so sexy. The film is dealing with the tension before and after. The s*x they’re all desperate for is on the court,” says Josh.
Challengers was initially set to premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival. However, MGM pushed the release date to next year due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes. Guadagnino was awarded the best director for his movie Bones and All last year at Venice.
Challengers director Luca Guagadnino only had a vague interest in tennis
Fans have been buzzing about Challengers since the trailer was dropped. At a glance, tennis does not seem like the sexiest sport in the world, but Guadagnino is on a mission to change people’s perspectives about the sport.
In an interview with the cast, it was revealed that Luca only has a passing interest in tennis. He was more interested in the sensual aspects rather than the physicality of the sport.
“He had no knowledge of tennis going into this,” said Faist. “And I think he had only a vague interest in certain tennis specificities. He was more interested in the bodies and sweat,” (via Empire).
EXCLUSIVE 🎾#Challengers director Luca Guadagnino ‘had no knowledge of tennis’, says star Mike Faist: ‘He was more interested in bodies and sweat,’ he tells Empire.
READ MORE: https://t.co/F2MouviGse pic.twitter.com/tIHqcn3Uxd
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) July 31, 2023
A new still from the movie shows Art and Patrick sitting shirtless on the sideline. O’Connor’s character sneers at his rival while eating a banana, while the other looks unfazed.
In the same interview, Zendaya said, “What Luca’s really good at is finding sensuality and desire. There’s so much in just glances. The tension builds. Not having the release is a good thing sometimes.”
These snippets will fan the flames of interest among fans who are excited to see Zendaya in the role. Unfortunately, they will have to wait till next year due to the strikes. The tentative release date for the movie as of now is April 26, 2024.