It’s 2024, folks — you know what that means? We don’t have much longer to wait until we (finally!) get to see Zendaya as a tennis pro in Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s new sports drama.
Challengers was first slated to premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival back in August but was pushed to 2024 because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Now, the countdown for Challengers‘ theatrical release is officially on.
We first learned about Challengers back in 2022 when it was announced that Guadagnino had tapped Zendaya for his next project, quickly following the successes of his films Call Me by Your Name and Suspiria. Zendaya was also on a roll with the releases of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dune, and Euphoria season 2, and joined Challengers as not only its leading star but also a producer. (If that wasn’t enough proof of how serious she was about the role, just know that she also trained for three months with former professional tennis player Brad Gilbert as her coach.)
Ahead of its long-awaited premiere, find everything you need to know about Zendaya’s Challengers below — from its final confirmed release date to the first official trailer, poster, and more.
What is Challengers about?
Written by Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers follows the story of Tashi (played by Zendaya), who finds herself embroiled in a high-stakes love triangle. The story follows Tashi, a pro tennis player who is forced to become a coach after an injury cuts her glittering career short. Coach Tashi sets out to transform her husband, described as a mediocre tennis player, into a world-famous Grand Slam champion. It’s all going according to plan until he hits a losing streak. She resorts to signing him up to compete in a “challenger” event — per MGM, “close to the lowest level of pro tournament” — not knowing they would there reconnect with his former best friend… Tashi’s former boyfriend.
Who stars in Challengers alongside Zendaya?
Josh O’Connor and Zendaya in Challengers
NIKO TAVERNISE / METRO GOLDWYN MAYER PICTURES
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Zendaya stars in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as Tashi Duncan. Mike Faist plays Tashi’s husband, Art Donaldson, while British actor Josh O’Connor, whom you might recognize from Netflix’s The Crown, takes on the role of Patrick — a.k.a. Tashi’s ex and Art’s ex-bestie.
When is Challengers coming out?
Challengers is slated to be released theatrically in the United States on April 26, 2024. The film was originally set to premiere theatrically on September 15, 2023, but was pushed back because of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The film was also intended to have the opener slot at 2023’s Venice Film Festival in August. “After thoughtful consideration with our partners, and given the parameters that SAG-AFTRA has outlined for its membership, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw Challengers from this year’s Venice International Film Festival,” an MGM/Amazon Studios spokesperson told Vanity Fair of the decision at the time of the rescheduling. “We look forward to celebrating the film when we can do so with our ensemble cast, director Luca Guadagnino, and the filmmaking team at a later date.”
Is there a trailer for Challengers?
There is, indeed. Since the movie was supposed to have a fall 2023 release, MGM actually released the official trailer for Challengers on June 20, 2023. The suspenseful trailer gives us a peek at the unique (and steamy) dynamic between Tashi, Art, and Patrick — then and now. It also gives a taste of Tashi’s fall from grace and how she ends up in the position she is now, all set to an intense remix of Rihanna’s “S&M.” You can watch the trailer for Challengers yourself below:
Is there a poster or first-look photos for Challengers?
Yes. At the moment, MGM has only released two exclusive images from Challengers, which correspond with two key moments from the trailer. The main image, which you can see at the beginning of this post, shows our leading trio getting up close and personal in a hotel room. The second image, which you can see here, shows a confrontation between Patrick and Tashi after they reconnect.
Aside from these previously released photos, Zendaya herself also unveiled the official poster for the movie on Instagram to ring in 2024. The poster shows a closeup of Zendaya as Tashi. In the reflection of her sunglasses, we see Art and Patrick facing each other in the challenger game.
