Did Zendaya actually leak the plot of her new movie ‘Challengers’?
Ready for a “sexy comedy” set against the backdrop of professional tennis courts? Ever wondered how Zendaya would handle a tennis racket?
Luca Guadagnino, renowned for his stirring narrative in Bones & All, returns with a bold switch to the world of cutthroat tennis, and yes, a sprinkle of love chaos. Challengers is what you get when an ex-tennis player, her husband, and an old flame battle it out, not just in love, but on the courts as well.
Serving love
Zendaya, beloved for her gripping performance in Euphoria, brings life to Tashi, a former tennis pro turned dedicated coach for her husband, Art.
Art, played by West Side Story sensation Mike Faist, is a Grand Slam champ who owes his success to Tashi’s meticulous guidance. But when his winning streak takes a nosedive, Tashi has to swallow her pride and sign him up for a Challenger event, a move that bruises Art’s ego.
And who do they face on these lower-tier courts? None other than Patrick, Tashi’s ex-lover and Art’s boyhood friend, portrayed by The Crown’s Josh O’Connor. What happens when old sparks fly in the middle of a tense game, amidst sweat and Gatorade?
Ace performance
Given Zendaya’s Emmy-winning flair, we might be witnessing the birth of her Oscar run this September, following the film’s release. Does the name Timothée Chalamet ring a bell? His overnight stardom can be traced back to a certain film, Call Me By Your Name.
Could we see a similar ascension with Zendaya? She reportedly dove headfirst into the project, training intensively for three months before the shoot, mostly conducted in Boston. “She’s so good,” Guadagnino couldn’t resist revealing at the Academy Museum Gala, “we barely needed her double.”
What’s more tantalizing than Zendaya’s on-screen involvement? The fact that Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, orchestrated the costumes for Challengers. This debut comes as no surprise considering his cinematic affinities, visible in his references to everything from Studio Ghibli to Carrie in his collections. One can only wonder whether he sneaked in his beloved anthurium among the sporty apparel.
Past Meets Preset
Dabbling with high-profile designers isn’t new for Guadagnino. He’s previously worked with Raf Simons for Tilda Swinton’s costumes in I Am Love and A Bigger Splash. He’s had Julianne Moore and Mia Goth donning Valentino Haute Couture in The Staggering Girl, and even filmed a Fendi-inspired short. Collaborations with top designers seem to be Guadagnino’s sweet spot.
Zendaya has already proven her prowess in acting and singing. Now, she’s on a mission to wow us with her tennis skills. Trained under former pro Brad Gilbert, who acted as a consultant, she and her co-stars worked diligently to portray tennis accurately. But will Guadagnino ever ask Zendaya to lend her voice to the movie’s soundtrack? “We’ll see,” is all the director had to say.
Remember Guadagnino’s Bones and All, a horror love story featuring cannibals that earned an eight-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival? We’re excited to see how the director’s latest project, Challengers, will compare to his previous masterpieces. Will Challengers serve an ace at the box office or will it be a double fault?
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