Zendayabecomes an incredible tennis player in the first trailer forChallengers, the new film from acclaimed Italian directorLuca Guadagnino, responsible forCall Me By Your Name,Suspiria, the seriesWe Are Who We Areand the 2022 cannibal coming-of-age dramaBones & All.
Here’s the official synopsis andtrailer for the movie:
“From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak, Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.”
Challengersalso stars Mike Faist (Westside Story) as Art Donaldson and Josh O’Connor (The Crown) as Patrick Zweig. The movie is produced by Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Connor and Guadagnino and Zendaya themselves. The story is based on a script written by Justin Kuritzkes, who’s currently writing another movie for Guadagnino titledQueerwhich is based on the William S. Burroughs' novel of the same name.
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Zendaya’s Bright Present and Future
There is no doubt that Luca Guadagnino knows how to choose his stars very well. In 2017, he propelled Timothée Chalamet to stardom thanks to his portrayal of Elio inCall Me By Your Name, and now he is putting one of the biggest stars of the moment at the helm of his new film.
Zendaya, who will soon be reunited with Chalamet on the big screen inDune Part II, is having one of the best moments of her career. Chani, her character in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novels, will be one of the main protagonists of the sequel, after appearing briefly in the first part.
In addition, the actress is preparing to return to play Rue Bennett, the main character of the series that gave her her first Golden Globe and two Emmys,Euphoria. Currently on hiatus due to the writers' strike, the show is expected to return to HBO in late 2024 or early 2025, still as one of the network’s most successful series.
Given the ending of the show’s second season, the actress will face an enormous challenge in the new episodes with Rue going through some of her hardest moments after relapsing.
Eventually, Zendaya will also reprise her role as MJ for Tom Holland’sSpider-Manfourth installment, though it’s still unclear how her character will fit in the story after the events ofNo Way Home, as neither she nor any of the other people in the life of Peter Parker remember him.
Spider-Man 4is currently being developed, but it could still be a few years before the film hits theaters.Challengers, for its part, hits theaters on September 15.
