The tennis community and Zendaya-stan community has been abuzz about Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers for what feels like years? Zendaya was showing up to tennis tournaments and doing research with tennis people and even practicing on some well-known tennis courts. All for this: to play a teenage tennis prodigy turned tennis coach, who also happens to be in the middle of a deliciously sordid love triangle with two white boys. I love everything about this trailer, including the janky Adidas poster, Mike Faist’s character wearing Uniqlo and Josh O’Connor looking HOT.
First, Zendaya: seeing her thwack a forehand is sexy, even if her form is a little bit off. Her “KAMAN” was very Serena Williams/Danielle Collins. Her character’s clothes (not tennis kits) are apparently all Loewe, but considering the prominent placing of the Adidas poster, I would assume Adidas did Zendaya’s tennis kits. Fascinating.
Secondly: let this be the end to the discussion about whether Josh O’Connor was the wrong actor to play Prince Charles in The Crown. Josh absolutely was wrong for the role: Josh is much too cute, much too sexy and much too watchable to play a young Charles. My boy looks GOOD. Especially when he’s got some facial hair and there’s all of the sexual tension.
Now, I don’t know much about Mike Faist, but he’s doing something here. I think it’s interesting that the story is that following Tashi’s injury, she becomes her husband’s coach. That’s actually pretty rare in tennis, to see a man being coached by his wife. The last guy who maybe did that was Roger Federer? I will absolutely die if the first line of the movie is “Based on real events, aka Roger and Mirka Federer.” Anyway, this looks hot, fun, dramatic and interesting. Finally, an original drama! A sexy drama about tennis pros!
No one:
Danielle Collins at 1-0 0-15 in the first set: pic.twitter.com/DF8CKX34M4
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) June 20, 2023
Zendaya's forehand swing is immaculate pic.twitter.com/SHHwOYNUMM
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) June 20, 2023
Screencaps courtesy of the ‘Challengers’ trailer.
This looks so good! And Josh can get it ANYTIMEEEEE
Agree with Kaiser about Josh O’Connor. He is too good looking for Charles (though Charles had “it” in his youth, IMO. Some scruffy charm). Josh is sexy – my kind of sexy anyway.
Aaaaa — there are so many good things going on here!
– Zendaya
– More or less Luca G’s tennis fanfiction
– the outfits and energy are so 80s, and Luca G does that nostalgia perfectly
– look at those wacky tennis smiles on the white boy duo. i don’t understand how they capture tennis player energy so perfectly but they do
– is this actually Luca’s homage to Y Tu Mama Tambien, where we find out that the actual sexual tension is between the two male leads?
– insert “it’s not gay if it’s a threeway”
– Zendaya with Rihanna music behind her is MADE IN HEAVEN; i read in the VF article that Trent Reznor of NIN is doing the scoring??? so cool
– I really hope Luca’s Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is back, he films light like nobody else
Unpopular opinion: I don’t think she’s a good actress. But I will probably watch this.
This looks so good! I can’t wait. This is a new type of movie for Zendaya.
Watch The Durrells for some old school Josh. He is so good in it.
As preface: Zendaya is an absolute goddess and this all looks properly sweaty and sexy and tense. Love it.
BUT.
As a tennis player, I’m peeved at the number of tennis movies starring waifs — see not only Zendaya, but also Emma Stone and Kirsten Dunst. Real female tennis players — even the slight ones — are built like absolute powerhouses. It is glorious and stunning. And while I know this is true across the board, Hollywood’s unrealistic misrepresentation of female bodies does a real disservice to both men and women out there — and specifically younger women, I’d argue.
If you are built like Zendaya, you are perfectly suited to modeling and acting. But more muscular bodies — while not the Hollywood ideal — are the ones with the capacity to attain serious physical accomplishment. Let’s celebrate that, yeah?
Good point.
It’s an excellent point. Professional tennis players have thighs that make them able to test the laws of physics.
Okay, I’ll watch this.
You had me at Zendaya.
“Aren’t you everybody’s type?”
Yes, she really is, I can’t wait to see this!
I’ve been obsessed with Mike after seeing him in West Side Story and I want only good things for his career – hope he gets good reviews!
I lover her short hair