Zendaya stars as a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach in the hot first trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, which released Tuesday ahead of its September 15 theatrical release.
Zendaya stars in the romantic sports drama as Tashi Duncan, who is at the center of a strained love triangle on and off the court. She is married to a losing streak champion played by Mike Faist.
To get him out of his crisis, Tashi prepares a match against a down-and-out player named Patrick (Josh O’Connor). Not coincidentally, Patrick is her husband’s former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
“I’m playing for both of us, Tashi,” Patrick says at one point in the trailer for Zendaya’s character, making her wonder what effort she’ll put in to win when three players who knew each other as teenagers clash in order to win show who will come out on top later in life.
Guadagnino also directed the cannibal drama Bones and All, starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, and Call Me by Your Name, starring Chalamet and Armie Hammer.
The Euphoria star also appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Dune. O’Connor won an Emmy for his portrayal of Prince Charles in the acclaimed Netflix drama series The Crown. And Faist caused a stir with his portrayal of the riff in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
The tennis-themed Challengers are produced by Amy Pascal and her Pascal Pictures banner, along with Guadagnino and Zendaya. Playwright, singer and writer Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay was named to the 2021 Black List, a ranking of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood.