After tackling cannibalism, dancing witches, and summer romances, director Luca Guadagnino has set his sights on a new topic: tennis.
In Challengers, Zendaya plays Tashi, a tennis pro who becomes involved with two guys, Patrick (played by The Crown‘s Josh O’Connor) and Art (West Side Story‘s Mike Faist). After a career-ending injury, Tashi becomes a coach — and settles down with Art. She’s transformed him into a grand slam champion, but “to jolt him out of his recent losing streak,” according to the official plot summary, “she makes him play a ‘Challenger’ event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend,” Patrick.
“I think those three characters in that movie are beautifully complex and really fucked-up people that I love very much,” Guadagnino told IndieWire in 2022 about making Challengers, written by Justin “Potion Seller” Kuritzkes. “And a sports film, why not? It’s hyperkinetic, and I do films, so it’s great.”
Bones and All was one of the best movies of 2022, and Challengers looks great, too. But there’s one scene in particular that has people talking. Close your eyes, Tom Holland.
this is crazy pic.twitter.com/XacnyTTQd6
— bethany (@fiImgal) June 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/Pollos_Hernandy/status/1671210182645252096
tom holland right now https://t.co/1lCuTKqPKD pic.twitter.com/OEm01OeMUp
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) June 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/WrittenByHanna/status/1671196342092279817
call me bi your name https://t.co/QzeGjshcTh
— matt (@computer_gay) June 20, 2023
Luca Guadagnino making sexy but thematically rich mid budget dramas with our biggest young stars, he’s so essential right now https://t.co/2YKwPHE8rS pic.twitter.com/IihHiK7eIF
— Sydney🚀 (@CountVolpe) June 20, 2023
— Neil McNeil (@Neil_McNeil) June 20, 2023
My Spanish is rusty but… “Y Tu Zendaya Tambien.” pic.twitter.com/UI084mhz0s
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) June 20, 2023
Challengers opens in theaters on September 15.