Zendaya has scored two love(rs) on the tennis court. She stars in Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s latest film that asks which man she would choose if she was a wunderkind tennis pro and Tom Holland weren’t an option. The choices are two best friends who approach Zendaya after seeing her across the stadium and digging her vibe. Both are fellow tennis players. Together, they invite her to their hotel room during a tournament and take turns rallying kisses, with Rihanna’s “S&M†soundtracking the scene in the first trailer. Josh O’Connor (The Crown) is the brunette suitor whom Zendaya seems to like a little bit more and even date for a bit. Mike Faist (West Side Story) is the blond one and the boy she eventually cuffs after he supports her through a devastating knee injury. The trailer moves backward and forward in time — we see Zendaya eventually becoming her husband’s coach when her inability to play post-injury leaves her with no other option. “You don’t know what tennis is,†she says in the film, which is written by Justin Kuritzkes, a playwright and Celine Song’s husband. “It’s a relationship.†She also utters the line, â€I’m taking such good care of my little white boys.†Challengers was slated to open the Venice Film Festival on August 30 followed by a September 15 release, before getting pushed to 2024 due to the actors strike. A pity! But on the plus side, we got a new trailer pegged to the updated April 26 release date. More sex! More tennis! More little white boys!
This post has been updated.