From Ryan Cordaro

I really haven’t seen a lot of sports movies in general, but most of the ones I’ve seen had something else going on in them. I feel like Kevin Costner might be the secret ingredient because the only ones I think of off the top of my head are Field of Dreams and Draft Day, but I swear I’ve seen other sports movies. I can really only think of maybe two other tennis movies too, if we’re gonna narrow it down to this specific sport. There’s King Richard, where it probably has a bigger association with what happened with the movie’s star, Will Smith, even though it’s a pretty good movie. There’s also Battle of the Sexes with Emma Stone and Steve Carell, which I’ve heard good things about too, but I definitely think Challengers will be a pretty big movie too.

Challengers follows Tashi, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach, who is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend in a Challenger match. The movie directed by Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria, Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All) was originally set for release this past September and even set to open last year’s Venice Film Festival, but the Hollywood strikes ended up delaying it. Guadagnino and screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes are also teaming up for another movie, Queer, which stars Daniel Craig and Jason Schwartzman. It’s not set for a release date just yet, but that’s expected to release this year too, making for a potential double dose of Guadagnino this year.

Challengers stars Zendaya (Dune: Part Two, the Spider-Man franchise), Josh O’Connor (Emma., The Crown), and Mike Faist (West Side Story, the upcoming The Bikeriders). It’s really refreshing to see such a small cast on display, especially ones that are as talented as these three.

Challengers hits theaters on April 26th, 2024 from Warner Bros.

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