“Challengers,” the new comedy from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, seems like a big left turn for a director who can seemingly do it all. Guadagnino has done things like acclaimed romantic dramas like “Call Me Be Your Name,” chilling horror like “Suspiria,” and “Bones And All” and very formal arthouse films like, “I Am Love,” and he can seemingly do it all.
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His latest is a romantic sex sports comedy which almost sounds like it’s not really a thing, but it’s set in the world of tennis, features MMF threesomes, and feels like, again, a big swerve for the filmmaker. “Challengers” stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor (“God’s Country”), and Mike Faist, who broke out big after starring in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” Its plot follows a Grand Slam tennis champion who signs up to compete in a challenger event against the former lover of his wife and coach.
Here’s the official synopsis:
From visionary filmmaker, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film was written by Justin Kuritzkes and produced by Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, and Rachel O’Connor. Guadagnino’s current composers, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who made the music for his last film, “Bones And All,” are sticking around for this one too.
“Challengers” was supposed to come out last September but was delayed because of the strikes. Amazon MGM studios will release “Challenges” in theaters April 26. Watch the new trailer below.