Zendaya Will Play a Tennis Star in Her Upcoming Film “Challengers”.
Reportedly, Emmy Award-winning actress Zendaya has signed on to star in a film about the professional tennis circuit.
Puck News co-founder Matthew Belloni shared a post on Twitter with a few details about the new project, tentatively titled Challengers, via social media.
Challengers will feature Euphoria and Spider-Man star Zendaya, The Crown star Josh O’Connor, and Broadway performer Mike Faist. The movie is directed by Luca Guadagnino. Faist confirmed in an interview on the red carpet at the BAFTA Awards that he would be joining Zendaya and O’Connor. In Boston, pre-production on the film will commence.
The setting of the film will be comparable to the ATP Challenger Tour. The ATP tour describes itself as a “stepping stone to the ATP Tour.” Players hope to improve their rankings or break out of the ITF circuit at this tournament. It is a weekly battle for valuable points at Challenger tournaments around the world.
Challengers follows Tashi, a former tennis player turned coach. She transforms her husband Art from a mediocre player into a world-renowned Grand Slam champion. Tashi forces Art to compete in a ‘Challenger’ event, which is close to the lowest tournament level on the pro tour, due to his recent losing streak. There, he finds himself competing against Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, reigniting old rivalries on and off the court.
Amy Pascal will produce the film alongside Guadagnino and Zendaya under her Pascal Pictures banner. The script appeared on the Hollywood Black List for 2021. It will be written by playwright-singer-author Justin Kuritzkes; it will be his first screenplay for a feature-length film.
Given her prominence in modern pop culture, any project in which Zendaya is cast will attract attention. The critically acclaimed actress’ performance as Rue in the wildly popular HBO series Euphoria has impressed viewers. She has also discussed how her portrayal of a flawed character increased viewer empathy.
After her stellar performances on the HBO series Euphoria, the Dune actress is currently one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors. She recently won big at the box office as MJ in one of the highest-grossing films, Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Challengers have no official release date yet, but production began in March of 2022.
