A new Zendaya trailer (and the anticipation of the accompanying press tour...even if it’s delayed) is already catnip for those of us who can’t resist marveling at the former Disney star’s tremendous rise. But tack on the fact that it’s for a film by Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino and, well, you’ve got about as a good a recipe for a guaranteed hit as you can come across in today’s twisted Hollywood landscape. Here’s what we know so far about Challengers.
What is Challengers about?
Challengers stars the Euphoria and Spider-Man actress as the fictional tennis wunderkind Tashi Duncan—Zendaya’s “first time really being a leading lady, if you will,” as she told ELLE in her September 2023 cover story. Caught in the orbit of Tashi’s fame and allure are Art (West Side Story’s Mike Faist) and Patrick (The Crown’s Josh O’Connor), the latter of whom becomes her boyfriend and the former her eventual husband. But time and resentment separates the trio after Tashi suffers a career-ending injury and chooses to become a tennis coach. When Art and Patrick reunite for a match years later, some truly steamy competition ensues, fueling what is sure to be one of the most talked-about films of late summer.
Tashi’s complex manipulation of the two men presented an exciting challenge for Zendaya. “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 told ELLE. “What was important to me was that she was unapologetic about it. Sometimes characters who are messy and conflicted and wield power over other people are reserved for [actors] who don’t look like me, so when I get an opportunity to play a character like that, I’ma take it!”
She continued elsewhere in the cover story: “I felt like it was a good step into a more, I guess you could say, ‘grown-up’ role and into that 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?’ You could run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, ‘You know what, fuck it.’”
Added Guadagnino himself, “Zendaya is a wonderful partner to work with. The way she expresses and exudes the power of her athleticism is wonderful, but at the same time, the way she goes through seduction is very beautiful in the film.”
Is there a trailer?
Yes, and it’s very good. Watch below.
When does Challengers come out?
Initially, Amazon MGM Studios was set to distribute Challengers only in theaters starting September 15, 2023. But after the SAG-AFTRA strike began in July 2023, the studio opted to push the debut to April 26, 2024, skipping its previously scheduled Venice Film Festival debut. The reasoning is simple: Challengers needs the marketing heft of its stars—Zendaya, in particular—and during the actors’ strike they’re unable to promote the film. If the strike ends, as expected, before next spring, they’ll be able to lend their powerful social media platforms to the Challengers cause.
Will Challengers be available on a streaming service?
Given the Amazon MGM Studios of it all—and the fact that Challengers will forego a theatrical release in France, instead opting to debut on Prime Video in the country, per Variety—it’s all but guaranteed Challengers will (eventually) arrive on Prime Video in the U.S. after its theatrical run is complete. The only question, of course, is how long we’ll have to wait.
This story will be updated.
