Luca Guadagnino’s acclaimed tennis drama Challengers is heading to Blu-ray and DVD on 12th July. More details below.
Challengers debuted to much critical acclaim in April and Warner Bros have now set a date for the film’s physical media release.
Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous, erotic tennis drama will be available on DVD and Blu-ray but not on 4K Uhd apparently. The press release doesn’t mention any extras either, but then again, with a film this good, who needs them?
Directed by Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist with a script written by Justin Kuritzkes.
Here’s a synopsis for the film: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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...
Challengers debuted to much critical acclaim in April and Warner Bros have now set a date for the film’s physical media release.
Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous, erotic tennis drama will be available on DVD and Blu-ray but not on 4K Uhd apparently. The press release doesn’t mention any extras either, but then again, with a film this good, who needs them?
Directed by Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist with a script written by Justin Kuritzkes.
Here’s a synopsis for the film: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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...
- 6/12/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Jude Law is ready to be challenged by screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes.
Law shared in an interview with Vanity Fair that he is set to work with “Challengers” scribe Kuritzkes on a Mike Nichols-inspired film.
“I’m developing a project with Justin Kuritzkes, who just wrote ‘Challengers,'” Law said. “The thing that bonded us was Mike Nichols. I said, ‘I think this is a Mike Nichols film.’ He was like, ‘Well, you would know.’ He felt the same when he went into ‘Challengers.'”
While Law kept the details of their upcoming project under wraps, he did reveal there would be a “sexual-social intercourse” element, much like in tense love triangle dramedy “Challengers” and late filmmaker Nichols’ famed works. Nichols directed Law in the 2004 romantic quadrangle drama “Closer.”
“If you’re true, if you get the tone right, there is something about that kind of intelligence and honest and...
Law shared in an interview with Vanity Fair that he is set to work with “Challengers” scribe Kuritzkes on a Mike Nichols-inspired film.
“I’m developing a project with Justin Kuritzkes, who just wrote ‘Challengers,'” Law said. “The thing that bonded us was Mike Nichols. I said, ‘I think this is a Mike Nichols film.’ He was like, ‘Well, you would know.’ He felt the same when he went into ‘Challengers.'”
While Law kept the details of their upcoming project under wraps, he did reveal there would be a “sexual-social intercourse” element, much like in tense love triangle dramedy “Challengers” and late filmmaker Nichols’ famed works. Nichols directed Law in the 2004 romantic quadrangle drama “Closer.”
“If you’re true, if you get the tone right, there is something about that kind of intelligence and honest and...
- 6/7/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The much buzzed about film, Challengers, from Amazon MGM Studios, will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on July 9. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”), the film is written by Justin Kuritzkes and produced by Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, Rachel O’Connor. Challengers stars Emmy® Award Winner Zendaya, Emmy® Award Winner Josh O’Connor, and Emmy ® and Grammy Award winner Mike Faist (“West Side Story”). Challengers will be available on July 9 on Blu-ray for $22.99 (Erp) and on DVD for $17.99 (Erp). About The Film: From ... Read more...
- 6/2/2024
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
"Challengers" is one of the best films of the year (read our review here), a thrilling, sexy, adult drama about two guys who love each other and one woman who loves tennis. While the marketing played up a threesome scene that never actually happens (the scene only involves some heavy kissing), "Challengers" is still one of the year's biggest surprises with a killer ending. Stars Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist are all on fire here, Luca Guadagnino's direction is energetic and exciting, and the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is full of absolute bangers.
Besides all the sexy melodrama, some of the best elements of "Challengers" are the thrilling tennis sequences that turn the sport into a non-stop thrillride, complete with a tennis ball Pov that flies back and forth at lightning speed. I watch a lot of movies, and I know how movies are made,...
Besides all the sexy melodrama, some of the best elements of "Challengers" are the thrilling tennis sequences that turn the sport into a non-stop thrillride, complete with a tennis ball Pov that flies back and forth at lightning speed. I watch a lot of movies, and I know how movies are made,...
- 5/29/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
After scoring a $15 million opening weekend at the box office, fans no longer have to head to the theater to see why everyone’s talking about director Luca Guadagnino’s steamy, critically acclaimed film Challengers. Starring Zendaya (who also co-produced the film), Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist in a tennis-fueled love triangle, the movie has landed online and is now available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV.
After scoring a $15 million opening weekend at the box office, fans no longer have to head to the theater to see why everyone’s talking about director Luca Guadagnino’s steamy, critically acclaimed film Challengers. Starring Zendaya (who also co-produced the film), Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist in a tennis-fueled love triangle, the movie has landed online and is now available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV.
- 5/17/2024
- by John Lonsdale
- Rollingstone.com
Challengers is still playing in some theaters. However, if viewing this steamy movie in public may be too much, viewers can now watch the romantic triangle entanglements from the privacy of their own homes. The Zendaya tennis tryst film has just been released on digital platforms. It may also be expected to hit Prime Video soon since the film is an Amazon original. While movies like Madame Web get mercy releases on digital after a month due to poor performances, Challengers actually enjoyed quite a bit of success for being the scope of film it is and the nature of the story.
The movie currently sits above $70 million from its worldwide gross on a $55 million budget. The critical and audience reception has been pretty positive, with a certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 89% with critics and a 73% audience score. The Metacritic rating would reach 82, while the user score gave it...
The movie currently sits above $70 million from its worldwide gross on a $55 million budget. The critical and audience reception has been pretty positive, with a certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 89% with critics and a 73% audience score. The Metacritic rating would reach 82, while the user score gave it...
- 5/17/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Unveiling the Steamy Success of Challengers Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino and penned by novice screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, has magnetically hit the theaters, instantly becoming a box office sensation. For those unacquainted with its allure, this isn’t just a film—it’s an item of mass intrigue. The magic begins with Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, whose performances spellbind the audience. Critics and fans alike can’t help but marvel at their searing chemistry on-screen. This trio has transformed Challengers into a cinematic hotbed of tension and passion, making viewers squirm with a delightful discomfort. An aspect that uniquely highlights the film’s
The post How Justin Kuritzkes Crafted the Year’s Most Provocative Film first appeared on TVovermind.
The post How Justin Kuritzkes Crafted the Year’s Most Provocative Film first appeared on TVovermind.
- 5/10/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
Tennis star Naomi Osaka offered her response to Luca Guadagnino’s buzzy tennis movie Challengers on Thursday, sharing her own moves on the court set to the movie’s viral techno score.
On TikTok, Osaka posted a video of herself moving through a tennis serve and twirling her racket with her fingers after writing, “Me after watching Challengers.”
Though the tennis player has no official ties to the hit movie, which stars Zendaya embroiled in a love triangle with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes previously told Business Insider it was Osaka’s 2018 win over Serena Williams that partially inspired the film.
@naomiosaka...
On TikTok, Osaka posted a video of herself moving through a tennis serve and twirling her racket with her fingers after writing, “Me after watching Challengers.”
Though the tennis player has no official ties to the hit movie, which stars Zendaya embroiled in a love triangle with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes previously told Business Insider it was Osaka’s 2018 win over Serena Williams that partially inspired the film.
@naomiosaka...
- 5/3/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A whole lot of moviegoers this past weekend probably just became enthusiastic tennis fans, so it's important that they know just how well the sport lends itself to the type of thrill-a-minute drama on display throughout "Challengers." (Be sure to read /Film's review by Witney Seibold if you haven't yet.) As Zendaya's Tashi Duncan proves on multiple occasions, the art of being really good at hitting a ball with a racket can feel like an interpretive dance ... provided you have the right partner. Both players tune out the larger world in the heat of the moment and, in Tashi's words, "go somewhere beautiful" together. In that light, it's no wonder the actual filming of director Luca Guadagnino's latest movie naturally lent itself to moments of spontaneity and improvisation between the main trio of actors.
If there's one moment everybody walked out of the theater buzzing about -- besides the provocative ending,...
If there's one moment everybody walked out of the theater buzzing about -- besides the provocative ending,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Although “Challengers” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes and director Luca Guadagnino are no strangers to working with each other, their collaboration process on the upcoming film “Queer,” an adaptation of a William S. Burroughs novel that will star Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, was entirely different.
The Black List alum previously told IndieWire on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers” that accepting the task of his first adapted screenplay was a “no brainer.” Elaborating on how exactly the task of making “Queer,” a film adaptation both Guadagnino and other filmmakers had been chasing, came to be, Kuritzkes later told IndieWire over Zoom, “One day, on the set of ‘Challengers,’ [Luca] just gave me this book and said, ‘Read this tonight and tell me if you want to write it for me.’”
He added, “I was so completely honored and touched that Luca would trust me with this movie. And...
The Black List alum previously told IndieWire on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers” that accepting the task of his first adapted screenplay was a “no brainer.” Elaborating on how exactly the task of making “Queer,” a film adaptation both Guadagnino and other filmmakers had been chasing, came to be, Kuritzkes later told IndieWire over Zoom, “One day, on the set of ‘Challengers,’ [Luca] just gave me this book and said, ‘Read this tonight and tell me if you want to write it for me.’”
He added, “I was so completely honored and touched that Luca would trust me with this movie. And...
- 4/29/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Challengers.”]
Zendaya is admitting that yes, the ending of “Challengers” can be considered “confusing,” especially since her own mother had an entirely different take on it than she did.
The actress told New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan that it makes sense why the ambiguous final scene can be “confusing” for audiences.
“My mom read the ending so different[ly]. My mom is like, ‘She’s pissed because they realize that they don’t need her anymore,'” Zendaya said in an interview excerpt tweeted by Buchanan. “I was like, ‘But I smile a little bit at the end!'”
The final sequence captures Tashi (Zendaya) watching as her almost-retired husband Art (Mike Faist) and his former best friend Patrick (Josh O’Connor) embrace on the tennis court without a winner being announced. Tashi screams “Come on!” from the sidelines, harkening back to her own teen U.S. Open win before she...
Zendaya is admitting that yes, the ending of “Challengers” can be considered “confusing,” especially since her own mother had an entirely different take on it than she did.
The actress told New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan that it makes sense why the ambiguous final scene can be “confusing” for audiences.
“My mom read the ending so different[ly]. My mom is like, ‘She’s pissed because they realize that they don’t need her anymore,'” Zendaya said in an interview excerpt tweeted by Buchanan. “I was like, ‘But I smile a little bit at the end!'”
The final sequence captures Tashi (Zendaya) watching as her almost-retired husband Art (Mike Faist) and his former best friend Patrick (Josh O’Connor) embrace on the tennis court without a winner being announced. Tashi screams “Come on!” from the sidelines, harkening back to her own teen U.S. Open win before she...
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson and Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
One of the most anticipated and hottest films of 2024 is finally here. We are talking about Zendaya‘s Challengers which was memed to death for a threesome scene that was shown in the trailer but if you have seen the film then you know that the brilliance of the film is much more than that one scene. Directed by Call Me By Your Name‘s Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, the sports romantic drama follows the story of a talented tennis player Tashi, and her twisted relationship with two tennis players, one of whom is her husband now. Challengers stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in the lead role with Jordan Thompson, Faith Fay, Hailey Gates, and Tierre Diaz starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the story of ambition and toxic relationships in Challengers you should check out these films with similar themes next.
- 4/29/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
'Challengers' screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes thinks the "cinematic" nature of tennis made it ideal for a movie.The scribe has penned the script for Luca Guadagnino's new movie that focuses on a love triangle on the tennis circuit and realised that the sport was ripe for the big screen after watching the controversial US Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in 2018.Justin told Variety: "I just happened to be watching the US Open in 2018. It was the match between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams in the final, and it was very controversial because Serena Williams got penalised for receiving coaching from the sidelines. She got very upset and said that she didn't do that – but that was the first time I had heard about that rule."Immediately, it struck me as really cinematic, that you're all alone on the court, that there's only one other person...
- 4/29/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Despite the parallels between both films, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes did not mine much from his own life to write “Challengers” in the same way his wife Celine Song did for her Oscar-nominated film “Past Lives.”
“‘Challengers’ is a pure fantasy for me,” Kuritzkes recently told IndieWire over Zoom. Having gotten hooked into obsessively watching tennis after the infamous 2018 U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, he added that “‘Challengers’ really came out of this desire to have information about the matches I was watching. It was really something that I think a lot of people who watch tennis do, which is that you transpose a personality onto the player from these little crumbs that you’re given. It’s what tennis commentators do all the time. They see somebody make a little motion or something, and they go, ‘Here’s what he’s thinking. Here’s what...
“‘Challengers’ is a pure fantasy for me,” Kuritzkes recently told IndieWire over Zoom. Having gotten hooked into obsessively watching tennis after the infamous 2018 U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, he added that “‘Challengers’ really came out of this desire to have information about the matches I was watching. It was really something that I think a lot of people who watch tennis do, which is that you transpose a personality onto the player from these little crumbs that you’re given. It’s what tennis commentators do all the time. They see somebody make a little motion or something, and they go, ‘Here’s what he’s thinking. Here’s what...
- 4/28/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Luca Guadagnino’s recently released Challengers is doing wonders at the box office. So much so that media outlets predicted a staggering box office collection within the opening weekend. Well, a lot of credit for the success and popularity of the film undoubtedly goes to the steamy scenes between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor.
Zendaya in a still from Challengers
But hold on, the things that are serving as a source of attraction for audiences towards the movie weren’t actually in the script. This means that the pivotal three-way kiss between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, almost didn’t happen, until Luca Guadagnino changed the course of Justin Kuritzkes’ original script.
Luca Guadagnino Changed the Original Script for Challengers
Hitting the theatres on April 26, Challengers captivated audiences with its purely pleasurable moments and the actor’s raw emotions brilliantly pulled out by Luca Guadagnino. Well, there...
Zendaya in a still from Challengers
But hold on, the things that are serving as a source of attraction for audiences towards the movie weren’t actually in the script. This means that the pivotal three-way kiss between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, almost didn’t happen, until Luca Guadagnino changed the course of Justin Kuritzkes’ original script.
Luca Guadagnino Changed the Original Script for Challengers
Hitting the theatres on April 26, Challengers captivated audiences with its purely pleasurable moments and the actor’s raw emotions brilliantly pulled out by Luca Guadagnino. Well, there...
- 4/28/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Spoiler Alert: This article contains plot details for “Challengers,” now playing in theaters.
Josh O’Connor never had a churro until he shot “Challengers.”
The British actor and his co-star Mike Faist enjoy the fried doughy treat in one of the film’s most suggestive scenes. In short, Patrick (O’Connor) is visiting his girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya) and his best friend Art (Faist) at Stanford when the two young men catch up in a cafeteria. They’re sitting face-to-face as they devour the churros.
“We actually only did two takes of that scene,” O’Connor says at the drama’s Los Angeles premiere. “They were delicious. My first churro was that day.”
So why churros? As if that even needs to be asked. “Because they’re a delicious snack,” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes says, while grinning. “They’re very popular in California – that’s why.”
Kuritzkes says O’Connor and Faist enhanced...
Josh O’Connor never had a churro until he shot “Challengers.”
The British actor and his co-star Mike Faist enjoy the fried doughy treat in one of the film’s most suggestive scenes. In short, Patrick (O’Connor) is visiting his girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya) and his best friend Art (Faist) at Stanford when the two young men catch up in a cafeteria. They’re sitting face-to-face as they devour the churros.
“We actually only did two takes of that scene,” O’Connor says at the drama’s Los Angeles premiere. “They were delicious. My first churro was that day.”
So why churros? As if that even needs to be asked. “Because they’re a delicious snack,” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes says, while grinning. “They’re very popular in California – that’s why.”
Kuritzkes says O’Connor and Faist enhanced...
- 4/28/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Starring Zendaya alongside Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in an unprecedented role, Challengers has emerged as one of the most anticipated films of the year. Following the unconventional relationship between three tennis players and how it evolves, the movie has been a topic of discussion about Zendaya’s acting prowess and its concept.
Challengers | Credit: MGM
And one of the scenes from the film that has been making the rounds since the first glimpse is the hotel room scene. However, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes has revealed that the scene was not in the initial draft and was added based on an idea from director Luca Guadagnino, ultimately becoming one of the movie’s most notable moments.
Luca Guadagnino’s Vision Inspired Challengers‘ Hotel Room Scene
Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes recently opened up about working with the filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and how his vision for the film led to the addition of...
Challengers | Credit: MGM
And one of the scenes from the film that has been making the rounds since the first glimpse is the hotel room scene. However, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes has revealed that the scene was not in the initial draft and was added based on an idea from director Luca Guadagnino, ultimately becoming one of the movie’s most notable moments.
Luca Guadagnino’s Vision Inspired Challengers‘ Hotel Room Scene
Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes recently opened up about working with the filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and how his vision for the film led to the addition of...
- 4/27/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
As Zendaya’s star rises in the wake of “Dune: Part Two” and now “Challengers,” the tennis film reminds viewers that she also has Marvel’s “Spider-Man” franchise with Tom Holland under her belt.
“Challengers” watches Zendaya play a fierce and ambitious woman whose career-stopping injury puts her in the position of coaching her professional tennis-playing husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Strategizing, she decides that a low-stakes Challenger tournament in New Rochelle might get some of Art’s mojo back — but things get complicated when the washed-up Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) takes the wild card slot to try and qualify for the U.S. Open. Patrick dated Tashi when she was in college at Stanford alongside Art, who used to play doubles with Patrick when they went to boarding school.
A line in the film calls to mind the actress’ rendition of “Mj,” aka Michelle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Challengers” watches Zendaya play a fierce and ambitious woman whose career-stopping injury puts her in the position of coaching her professional tennis-playing husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Strategizing, she decides that a low-stakes Challenger tournament in New Rochelle might get some of Art’s mojo back — but things get complicated when the washed-up Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) takes the wild card slot to try and qualify for the U.S. Open. Patrick dated Tashi when she was in college at Stanford alongside Art, who used to play doubles with Patrick when they went to boarding school.
A line in the film calls to mind the actress’ rendition of “Mj,” aka Michelle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- 4/27/2024
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
A curious thing happened when the first trailer for “Challengers” came out: People started getting really, really weird online about the suggestion that the three main characters — played by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor — have a threesome. It prompted memes and hand-wringing alike, as if this was the first time any actor in film history had ever pretended to engage in sex onscreen — never mind that the film ultimately doesn’t have an actual sex scene at all, instead withholding from the audience in order to build up the lingering sexual tension that eats away at all sides of its love triangle. The fervor around the possibility of sex in “Challengers” affirmed something that has been obvious for years now: Cinema, especially American cinema, is starved for films that sizzle with genuine sensuality.
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
- 4/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“I’m watching tennis as we speak — Djokovic,” Zendaya tells me during one of her first interviews about “Challengers.”
It’s July 11, 2023. The 27-year-old actor is watching Wimbledon on TV while preparing for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike, which would leave her unable to attend her film’s Aug. 30 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Of course, one week after the actors strike was ordered, Amazon MGM Studios decided to pull out of the festival, pushing “Challengers” to an April 26 debut.
Zendaya leads the film as Tashi Duncan, an 18-year-old tennis prodigy on her way to Serena Williams-like stardom until she injures her knee and loses her shot at a pro career. Over the course of 13 years, she continues to find herself ensnared in a psychosexual relationship with the sport and two other players, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
“I’d never seen a character like Tashi.
It’s July 11, 2023. The 27-year-old actor is watching Wimbledon on TV while preparing for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike, which would leave her unable to attend her film’s Aug. 30 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Of course, one week after the actors strike was ordered, Amazon MGM Studios decided to pull out of the festival, pushing “Challengers” to an April 26 debut.
Zendaya leads the film as Tashi Duncan, an 18-year-old tennis prodigy on her way to Serena Williams-like stardom until she injures her knee and loses her shot at a pro career. Over the course of 13 years, she continues to find herself ensnared in a psychosexual relationship with the sport and two other players, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
“I’d never seen a character like Tashi.
- 4/26/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
It's safe to say first-time feature screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes came out of the gate hot with his first produced screenplay. "Challengers," the erotic tennis thriller starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, was one of /Film's most anticipated films of 2024, and the movie lived up to our sky-high expectations by being a mesmerizing drama about three people locked in a deep and unconventional relationship.
But interestingly, one of the film's most important scenes was not in its first draft. I spoke to Kuritzkes this week in advance of the film's release, and he told me about how a story idea from director Luca Guadagnino eventually evolved into one of the movie's most famous moments:
"One of the first conversations we had was that Luca said, 'In a love triangle, all the corners should touch.' I heard that, and I thought, 'Yeah, all these people's lives are so deeply intwined,...
But interestingly, one of the film's most important scenes was not in its first draft. I spoke to Kuritzkes this week in advance of the film's release, and he told me about how a story idea from director Luca Guadagnino eventually evolved into one of the movie's most famous moments:
"One of the first conversations we had was that Luca said, 'In a love triangle, all the corners should touch.' I heard that, and I thought, 'Yeah, all these people's lives are so deeply intwined,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Stars: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor | Written by Justin Kuritzkes | Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Up-and-coming tennis star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) has it all in the palm of her hand — talent, success, and future opportunities. Meanwhile, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are a duo who share a bond beyond their rackets, with the meeker Art being shaped into manhood by the boisterous Patrick. When Tashi’s career stops in its tracks, it’s a duel for attention between the boys, forming an uneasy yet seductive triad.
Oh Luca Guadagnino, you’ve done it again. The acclaimed director has already painted incredibly broad strokes with his somehow cohesive back catalogue, from sexy cannibals in Bones and All to a coven of ravenous witches in Suspiria. Challengers is simultaneously a completely new direction for him and a pleasingly familiar one, combining Guadagnino’s heady loves of sex and power into the layered,...
Up-and-coming tennis star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) has it all in the palm of her hand — talent, success, and future opportunities. Meanwhile, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are a duo who share a bond beyond their rackets, with the meeker Art being shaped into manhood by the boisterous Patrick. When Tashi’s career stops in its tracks, it’s a duel for attention between the boys, forming an uneasy yet seductive triad.
Oh Luca Guadagnino, you’ve done it again. The acclaimed director has already painted incredibly broad strokes with his somehow cohesive back catalogue, from sexy cannibals in Bones and All to a coven of ravenous witches in Suspiria. Challengers is simultaneously a completely new direction for him and a pleasingly familiar one, combining Guadagnino’s heady loves of sex and power into the layered,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Jasmine Valentine
- Nerdly
Luca Guadagnino isn’t exactly known for mainstream box office success, with credits on his resume like Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria and Bones and All. However, you take a young rising star like Zendaya and create a sexy love triangle around her in a sports setting, then as the late great Carl Weathers would say, “Baby, you got a stew going!” Guadagnino’s sports romance drama, Challengers, would open to $1.9 million at the box office in Thursday night previews.
According to Variety, while the R-rated film isn’t going to bust any blocks, as romance dramas rarely do, but the Amazon MGM movie is expected to win the weekend with an estimated $12 million to $15 million gross. Challengers is expected to overtake Civil War for the number one spot at the box office for the week. Civil War would enjoy two weeks at the top, becoming the biggest earner...
According to Variety, while the R-rated film isn’t going to bust any blocks, as romance dramas rarely do, but the Amazon MGM movie is expected to win the weekend with an estimated $12 million to $15 million gross. Challengers is expected to overtake Civil War for the number one spot at the box office for the week. Civil War would enjoy two weeks at the top, becoming the biggest earner...
- 4/26/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Luca Guadagnino’s love triangle drama Challengers starts its UK-Ireland box office campaign this weekend through Warner Bros.
Opening in 702 sites with additional venues still being added, the film stars Zendaya, 2016 Screen Star of Tomorrow Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in the story of three aspiring tennis professionals fighting both for championships and romantically.
Initially programmed as the opening film of last year’s Venice Film Festival, Challengers was withdrawn following the actors’ strike, which would have prevented its starry cast from promoting the release.
It is Italian filmmaker Guadagnino’s eighth feature film. He broke out internationally with his fifth,...
Opening in 702 sites with additional venues still being added, the film stars Zendaya, 2016 Screen Star of Tomorrow Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in the story of three aspiring tennis professionals fighting both for championships and romantically.
Initially programmed as the opening film of last year’s Venice Film Festival, Challengers was withdrawn following the actors’ strike, which would have prevented its starry cast from promoting the release.
It is Italian filmmaker Guadagnino’s eighth feature film. He broke out internationally with his fifth,...
- 4/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
You will never see sweat shot as lovingly, as carefully, or as carnally as you see it filmed in Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s doubles match of tennis drama and tortured love triangle. It virtually glistens off of the two male players competing to win — on the court, off the court, in the bedroom, during a sauna psyche-out in which one of them is kindly asked to put his dick away — and glides off of every inch of their toned physiques. Massive droplets drip off their noses, down their necks and arms,...
- 4/26/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
You may not know Justin Kuritzkes by name, but there's a strong chance you've seen his face before. The playwright turned screenwriter behind director Luca Guadagnino's steamy tennis drama "Challengers" rocketed to internet fame thanks to his viral 2011 YouTube fantasy skit "Potion Seller." That he went from speaking to himself in silly voices while distorting his face on his computer to penning scripts for the filmmaker behind "Call Me By Your Name" is truly the type of career trajectory the rest of us can only dream about.
In another twist that might not pass the smell test if you tried to turn his story into a film, Kuritzkes is married to Celine Song, the writer and director behind only one of the best movies of 2023, "Past Lives." Even setting that aside, it's easy to spot the parallels between Song's hit and "Challengers." Both films follow the same set of...
In another twist that might not pass the smell test if you tried to turn his story into a film, Kuritzkes is married to Celine Song, the writer and director behind only one of the best movies of 2023, "Past Lives." Even setting that aside, it's easy to spot the parallels between Song's hit and "Challengers." Both films follow the same set of...
- 4/26/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Zendaya briefly opened up about how she has been “nervous” leading up to the release of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.
The Emmy-winning actress took to Instagram to share a carousel of photos and videos behind the scenes of her upcoming film with her co-stars, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor.
“This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous but everyones excitement and encouragement has meant the world to me,” she captioned the Instagram post. “I’m so honored that I get to do this beside these incredibly talented, brilliant (and hilarious) people and on behalf of all of us, we hope you enjoy the film and again…try not to judge the characters too much lol but also #teamtashi.”
The carousel included videos of Zendaya working out with a bouncy ball and training on a tennis court, O’Connor flipping a plastic water...
The Emmy-winning actress took to Instagram to share a carousel of photos and videos behind the scenes of her upcoming film with her co-stars, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor.
“This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous but everyones excitement and encouragement has meant the world to me,” she captioned the Instagram post. “I’m so honored that I get to do this beside these incredibly talented, brilliant (and hilarious) people and on behalf of all of us, we hope you enjoy the film and again…try not to judge the characters too much lol but also #teamtashi.”
The carousel included videos of Zendaya working out with a bouncy ball and training on a tennis court, O’Connor flipping a plastic water...
- 4/25/2024
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This article contains major spoilers for "Challengers."
Given our Puritanical origins, Americans tend to have a strange relationship with the concept of kink. It's only within the last half-century or so that popular culture has allowed for the exploration and broadcast of what used to be taboo topics: Things as basic and human as the general act of sex, the proliferation of violence, and so on. Prior to that watershed time in American history, so much of life was hidden behind closed doors, causing the general public persona of the average citizen to be repressed or sublimated.
While America is certainly not alone when it comes to rabidly enjoying sports — whether participating directly or merely observing them being played — it feels like our culture uses the pastimes as one of several outlets with which to get in touch with our baser, more primal selves. If football is a stand-in for...
Given our Puritanical origins, Americans tend to have a strange relationship with the concept of kink. It's only within the last half-century or so that popular culture has allowed for the exploration and broadcast of what used to be taboo topics: Things as basic and human as the general act of sex, the proliferation of violence, and so on. Prior to that watershed time in American history, so much of life was hidden behind closed doors, causing the general public persona of the average citizen to be repressed or sublimated.
While America is certainly not alone when it comes to rabidly enjoying sports — whether participating directly or merely observing them being played — it feels like our culture uses the pastimes as one of several outlets with which to get in touch with our baser, more primal selves. If football is a stand-in for...
- 4/25/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
[Editor’s note: The following interview includes some spoilers for “Challengers.”]
Justin Kuritzkes managed to hit an ace with the first feature-length screenplay he’d ever written “that I felt good enough to share with anybody,” he joked during a recent interview with IndieWire over Zoom.
The playwright, author, and to some most memorably “Potion Seller,” credits the controversial 2018 U.S. Open final between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams that began to devolve after an umpire penalized the latter tennis legend for allegedly receiving coaching from the sidelines.
“She immediately got really upset and said, ‘I didn’t do that. I would never do that.’ And I had never heard this rule before because I wasn’t massively into tennis. But immediately, this struck me as intensely cinematic,” said Kuritzkes. “You’re all alone on the court and there’s this one person in the stands who cares as much about what happens to you as you do, but you can’t talk to them.
Justin Kuritzkes managed to hit an ace with the first feature-length screenplay he’d ever written “that I felt good enough to share with anybody,” he joked during a recent interview with IndieWire over Zoom.
The playwright, author, and to some most memorably “Potion Seller,” credits the controversial 2018 U.S. Open final between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams that began to devolve after an umpire penalized the latter tennis legend for allegedly receiving coaching from the sidelines.
“She immediately got really upset and said, ‘I didn’t do that. I would never do that.’ And I had never heard this rule before because I wasn’t massively into tennis. But immediately, this struck me as intensely cinematic,” said Kuritzkes. “You’re all alone on the court and there’s this one person in the stands who cares as much about what happens to you as you do, but you can’t talk to them.
- 4/25/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Challengers releases April 26th, 2024.
The cast and creative team behind one of the most anticipated films of the year sat down to discuss the creative process that brought it to life just ahead of its upcoming release. Challengers — directed by acclaimed filmmaker Luca Guadagnino — stars Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Josh O’Connor (The Crown) and Mike Faist (West Side Story) as talented athletes caught up in a web of seduction, betrayal and tennis. You can check out my review of the film here.
Challengers Explores the Steamy Side of Tennis
Mike Faust (left) Zendaya (center) and Josh O’Connor (right)
Luca Guadagnino follows up his cannibal romance Bones and All with a very different story of love. While Bone and All was undeniably smaller in scale, Challengers is a film of excess. From its pulse-pounding musical score, unpredictable camera movements and its over-the-top melodrama, it’s an indulgent and captivating...
The cast and creative team behind one of the most anticipated films of the year sat down to discuss the creative process that brought it to life just ahead of its upcoming release. Challengers — directed by acclaimed filmmaker Luca Guadagnino — stars Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Josh O’Connor (The Crown) and Mike Faist (West Side Story) as talented athletes caught up in a web of seduction, betrayal and tennis. You can check out my review of the film here.
Challengers Explores the Steamy Side of Tennis
Mike Faust (left) Zendaya (center) and Josh O’Connor (right)
Luca Guadagnino follows up his cannibal romance Bones and All with a very different story of love. While Bone and All was undeniably smaller in scale, Challengers is a film of excess. From its pulse-pounding musical score, unpredictable camera movements and its over-the-top melodrama, it’s an indulgent and captivating...
- 4/25/2024
- by Joshua Ryan
- FandomWire
On June 20, 2022, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor sat at the edge of a motel bed on either side of Zendaya, kissing, licking and biting her neck. As Art and Patrick, their respective “Challengers” characters, they were desperate for more of Tashi, played by Zendaya, and desperate to mask their desperation.
Zendaya’s mind was elsewhere. “The only reason I really remember is because Beyoncé came out with ‘Break My Soul’ that day,” she said. “I was having a great day, like, ‘Y’all. Beyoncé’s single just dropped.’ That’s what I was focused on, to be honest.”
“We lost Zendaya for like a week,” O’Connor recalls. “She was on set, normal, chatting with us. Then one day Beyoncé released something. They called ‘cut,’ and she immediately had headphones in. She was completely lost to the world.”
Tashi, too, is often lost to the world. Her unavailability — bordering on...
Zendaya’s mind was elsewhere. “The only reason I really remember is because Beyoncé came out with ‘Break My Soul’ that day,” she said. “I was having a great day, like, ‘Y’all. Beyoncé’s single just dropped.’ That’s what I was focused on, to be honest.”
“We lost Zendaya for like a week,” O’Connor recalls. “She was on set, normal, chatting with us. Then one day Beyoncé released something. They called ‘cut,’ and she immediately had headphones in. She was completely lost to the world.”
Tashi, too, is often lost to the world. Her unavailability — bordering on...
- 4/24/2024
- by Selome Hailu and Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
On the surface, Challengers is about a single tennis match between former friends turned rivals Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). But as it flashes back and forth in time to show how their relationships with tennis champion turned coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) led them to this competition, it becomes much more than a typical sports drama. Challengers intelligently and entertainingly deals with issues of communication, aging, and how the pursuit of excellence can saddle one with both limitations and opportunities for transcendence. It also does all that while providing the thrills of watching “some good fucking […]
The post “I’m Writing This Because I Want To See This Movie”: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes on Writing Challengers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I’m Writing This Because I Want To See This Movie”: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes on Writing Challengers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/24/2024
- by Jesse Pasternack
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
On the surface, Challengers is about a single tennis match between former friends turned rivals Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). But as it flashes back and forth in time to show how their relationships with tennis champion turned coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) led them to this competition, it becomes much more than a typical sports drama. Challengers intelligently and entertainingly deals with issues of communication, aging, and how the pursuit of excellence can saddle one with both limitations and opportunities for transcendence. It also does all that while providing the thrills of watching “some good fucking […]
The post “I’m Writing This Because I Want To See This Movie”: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes on Writing Challengers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I’m Writing This Because I Want To See This Movie”: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes on Writing Challengers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/24/2024
- by Jesse Pasternack
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
While some may contest whether his new film – Challengers – is, in fact, director Luca Guadagnino’s best film, it is undeniable that this is, simply put, a great film.
In Challengers stars Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy named Tashi Duncan who, after a brutal injury ends her career, turns to coaching and while serving as such for her husband – Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), himself a tennis champion, though currently besought by a losing streak – orchestrates a final confrontation between Art and his former friend and rival for Tashi’s affections, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). As the two old friends face each other in the most important match of their lives, their troubled relationship plays out as flashbacks between sets.
Director Luca Guadagnino – perhaps previously best known Suspiria (2019) and Call Me by Your Name (2017) – proves a formidable directorial force with his command of the material here. There is never a...
In Challengers stars Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy named Tashi Duncan who, after a brutal injury ends her career, turns to coaching and while serving as such for her husband – Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), himself a tennis champion, though currently besought by a losing streak – orchestrates a final confrontation between Art and his former friend and rival for Tashi’s affections, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). As the two old friends face each other in the most important match of their lives, their troubled relationship plays out as flashbacks between sets.
Director Luca Guadagnino – perhaps previously best known Suspiria (2019) and Call Me by Your Name (2017) – proves a formidable directorial force with his command of the material here. There is never a...
- 4/23/2024
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Josh O’Connor shines in the sizzling tennis romance drama “Challengers,” but that doesn’t mean “The Crown” alum is a fan of his own character.
O’Connor told WSJ magazine that he actually thought his character Patrick was a bit of a “monster.” The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, centers on Tashi (Zendaya), a former college tennis star who is torn between her three loves: husband Art (Mike Faist), ex Patrick (O’Connor), and the sport itself. While Tashi’s dalliances between Art and Patrick overlap over the years, O’Connor calls Patrick a total “dick” of a role.
“How do you make a character likable whilst being a monster?,” O’Connor said of his core struggle to play Patrick. “It’s the first time I think I’ve played a character who’s just like, ‘I’m fucking mad.’ Like, ‘I’m a dick and I’m proud.'”
In fact,...
O’Connor told WSJ magazine that he actually thought his character Patrick was a bit of a “monster.” The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, centers on Tashi (Zendaya), a former college tennis star who is torn between her three loves: husband Art (Mike Faist), ex Patrick (O’Connor), and the sport itself. While Tashi’s dalliances between Art and Patrick overlap over the years, O’Connor calls Patrick a total “dick” of a role.
“How do you make a character likable whilst being a monster?,” O’Connor said of his core struggle to play Patrick. “It’s the first time I think I’ve played a character who’s just like, ‘I’m fucking mad.’ Like, ‘I’m a dick and I’m proud.'”
In fact,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Amazon MGM Studios has released the final trailer for Challengers, starring 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, Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
As their pasts and present collide and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself what it will cost to win. In addition to the trailer, you can also watch a featurette on the film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, and graphic nudity. The drama will open in theaters on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Guadagnino directed the movie from a script by Justin Kuritzkes.
Married to a champion on a losing streak, Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
As their pasts and present collide and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself what it will cost to win. In addition to the trailer, you can also watch a featurette on the film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, and graphic nudity. The drama will open in theaters on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Guadagnino directed the movie from a script by Justin Kuritzkes.
- 4/22/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Justin Kuritzkes has back-to-back adaptations in the works.
The screenwriter has been one of Luca Guadagnino’s closest collaborators of late. His “Challengers” just premiered to rave reviews and he’s already set to adapt “Queer,” the novel originally written by William S. Burroughs, for the director as well. At the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers,” the screenwriter spoke with us about adapting the novel as well as “City on Fire,” the first of a bestselling novel trilogy from Don Winslow, which Austin Butler will lead.
Adaptations are challenging, but Kuritzkes has a method to the madness. In our conversation, he teased what he’s working on and how he approaches IP. He revealed that “Queer” is something Guadagnino has wanted to make since he was a teenager when the book came out in 1985, “I was so touched and honored when he asked me to read it and to see...
The screenwriter has been one of Luca Guadagnino’s closest collaborators of late. His “Challengers” just premiered to rave reviews and he’s already set to adapt “Queer,” the novel originally written by William S. Burroughs, for the director as well. At the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers,” the screenwriter spoke with us about adapting the novel as well as “City on Fire,” the first of a bestselling novel trilogy from Don Winslow, which Austin Butler will lead.
Adaptations are challenging, but Kuritzkes has a method to the madness. In our conversation, he teased what he’s working on and how he approaches IP. He revealed that “Queer” is something Guadagnino has wanted to make since he was a teenager when the book came out in 1985, “I was so touched and honored when he asked me to read it and to see...
- 4/19/2024
- by Veronica Flores
- Indiewire
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Challengers, Abigail, Under the Bridge and Coachella.
PaleyFest
The annual TV festival kicked off on April 12 and runs through the 21st, with events for The Morning Show, Loki, Young Sheldon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Nestor Carbonell, Nicole Beharie, Tig Notaro, Jennifer Aniston, moderator Kara Swisher, Reese Witherspoon, Karen Pittman and Mark Duplass for The Morning Show event Zoe Perry, Raegan Revord, Montana Jordan, Iain Armitage, Annie Potts, Emily Osment and Lance Barber at the Young Sheldon event Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers for the Late Night with Seth Meyers panel Judd Apatow, Jeff Schaffer, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Larry David, Susie Essman and J.B. Smoove at the Curb Your Enthusiasm event.
Breakthrough Prize
Stars including Jessica Chastain, Glenn Close,...
PaleyFest
The annual TV festival kicked off on April 12 and runs through the 21st, with events for The Morning Show, Loki, Young Sheldon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Nestor Carbonell, Nicole Beharie, Tig Notaro, Jennifer Aniston, moderator Kara Swisher, Reese Witherspoon, Karen Pittman and Mark Duplass for The Morning Show event Zoe Perry, Raegan Revord, Montana Jordan, Iain Armitage, Annie Potts, Emily Osment and Lance Barber at the Young Sheldon event Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers for the Late Night with Seth Meyers panel Judd Apatow, Jeff Schaffer, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Larry David, Susie Essman and J.B. Smoove at the Curb Your Enthusiasm event.
Breakthrough Prize
Stars including Jessica Chastain, Glenn Close,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before teaming up with director Luca Guadagnino on Challengers, Zendaya sought advice from Dune co-star Timothée Chalamet, who starred in Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name in 2017.
“He said wonderful things,” Zendaya told The Hollywood Reporter at the Los Angeles premiere of Challengers on Tuesday. “Luca is brilliant and I’ve wanted to work with Luca for a very long time and this just seemed like the absolute perfect thing. When we first met about the script he had such a keen, deep understanding of the characters from the beginning and a clearer idea of the kind of movie he wanted to create. And the script was brilliant, [writer] Justin Kuritzkes is so talented and I’m so happy for him. So it all made sense.”
Zendaya reveals if Timothée Chalamet gave her any tips on working with director Luca Guadagnino and tells THR how she has wanted to work...
“He said wonderful things,” Zendaya told The Hollywood Reporter at the Los Angeles premiere of Challengers on Tuesday. “Luca is brilliant and I’ve wanted to work with Luca for a very long time and this just seemed like the absolute perfect thing. When we first met about the script he had such a keen, deep understanding of the characters from the beginning and a clearer idea of the kind of movie he wanted to create. And the script was brilliant, [writer] Justin Kuritzkes is so talented and I’m so happy for him. So it all made sense.”
Zendaya reveals if Timothée Chalamet gave her any tips on working with director Luca Guadagnino and tells THR how she has wanted to work...
- 4/17/2024
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Enter this contest by following the link at the bottom of this page for your chance to win a pair of passes to attend an advance screening of Challengers at the Mjr Troy on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7:00pm!
Synopsis: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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), 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) – 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.
About The Film
Genre: Drama Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist Director: Luca...
Synopsis: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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), 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) – 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.
About The Film
Genre: Drama Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist Director: Luca...
- 4/17/2024
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
Zendaya not only stars in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers but is also a producer in the film written by Justin Kuritzkes.
At the LA premiere, the film’s star talked to Deadline about working with Guadagnino in the movie, which she co-stars in with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
“Luca is brilliant. I think he has such a beautiful understanding about the human experience and deeply understands characters on another level,” she told us. “That was very apparent from the first time I spoke with him about this film and about these characters. He just knew who these people were in a deep sense and understood them, their hopes, their wants, their dreams, their desires, their fears.”
She continued, “It was nice. It was so special to be able to collaborate with him, work with him, and learn from him as well. We had tennis training and all these great things.
At the LA premiere, the film’s star talked to Deadline about working with Guadagnino in the movie, which she co-stars in with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
“Luca is brilliant. I think he has such a beautiful understanding about the human experience and deeply understands characters on another level,” she told us. “That was very apparent from the first time I spoke with him about this film and about these characters. He just knew who these people were in a deep sense and understood them, their hopes, their wants, their dreams, their desires, their fears.”
She continued, “It was nice. It was so special to be able to collaborate with him, work with him, and learn from him as well. We had tennis training and all these great things.
- 4/17/2024
- by Armando Tinoco and Natalie Sitek
- Deadline Film + TV
A year ago, trades announced that Oscar-nominee Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two“) would be leading a feature film adaptation of the famous Don Winslow crime saga novel “City On Fire”. A potential franchise starter for Sony, the crimed dra awould explore two criminal empires, Irish and Italian syndicates, that control New England and has been compared to the scope of something on the level of “The Godfather.” It’s been a long minute since we’ve heard an update, but Deadline reports the project has landed an impressive screenwriter to tackle the script.
Continue reading ‘City On Fire’: Austin Butler Crime Saga Adds ‘Challengers’ Writer Justin Kuritzkes at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘City On Fire’: Austin Butler Crime Saga Adds ‘Challengers’ Writer Justin Kuritzkes at The Playlist.
- 4/16/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Sony’s 3000 Pictures has set Justin Kuritzkes to adapt City on Fire, the first of a bestselling novel trilogy by Don Winslow that is being developed as a star vehicle for Austin Butler.
Kuritzkes is hot off writing the script for the Luca Guadanino-directed Zendaya starrer Challengers, and Butler is producing along with David Heyman of Heyday Films and Shane Salerno of The Story Factory.
After Challengers, Kuritzkes adapted Guadagnino’s next film Queer, starring Daniel Craig and based on William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel. In 2019, Kuritzkes’ debut novel, Famous People, was published by Henry Holt and Co.
3000’s Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva are overseeing the City on Fire project for the studio, and Drew Reed was instrumental in tracking the book series.
Winslow’s swan song trilogy – the final installment City in Ruins is just landing on the bestseller lists after being published by William Morrow – is...
Kuritzkes is hot off writing the script for the Luca Guadanino-directed Zendaya starrer Challengers, and Butler is producing along with David Heyman of Heyday Films and Shane Salerno of The Story Factory.
After Challengers, Kuritzkes adapted Guadagnino’s next film Queer, starring Daniel Craig and based on William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel. In 2019, Kuritzkes’ debut novel, Famous People, was published by Henry Holt and Co.
3000’s Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva are overseeing the City on Fire project for the studio, and Drew Reed was instrumental in tracking the book series.
Winslow’s swan song trilogy – the final installment City in Ruins is just landing on the bestseller lists after being published by William Morrow – is...
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Luca Guadagnino's new film "Challengers" is set in 2019 during a pivotal tennis match between tennis pro Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and the struggling also-ran Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor). Watching from the stands is Donaldson's wife, the former teen tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). Tashi looks incredibly concerned, and the two players seem to hate each other. The film then begins a series of flashbacks, stretching back 13 years to when the characters were all teenagers. It seems that Art, Patrick, and Tashi once had a three-way makeout session in a motel room that cemented their physical and emotional attraction for years. Tashi briefly dated Josh, while Art, retaining a crush, attempted to sabotage their relationship. Art and Tashi would begin a romance after she sustains an injury, with Tashi becoming Art's coach. Resentment bubbles apace.
It's all very soapy, of course, but Guadagnino tempers the melodrama with excellent attention to detail,...
It's all very soapy, of course, but Guadagnino tempers the melodrama with excellent attention to detail,...
- 4/13/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The entertainment world is abuzz with anticipation as the first look at the upcoming film “Challengers” starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist has been released. This highly-anticipated movie promises to deliver a unique and captivating cinematic experience that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats.
“Challengers” directed by Luca Guadagnino revolves around a love triangle among three tennis players. After being postponed last year due to Hollywood strikes, the film now has a new trailer and release date. The latest preview, similar to the one from June 2023, serves as a reminder of the film’s upcoming release. The storyline follows former tennis star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), whose career ends due to a leg injury, as she reconnects with her pro husband Art (Mike Faist) and a former rival/lover Patrick (Josh O’Conner) years later.
The Amazon MGM Studios film was written by Justin Kuritzkes and features...
“Challengers” directed by Luca Guadagnino revolves around a love triangle among three tennis players. After being postponed last year due to Hollywood strikes, the film now has a new trailer and release date. The latest preview, similar to the one from June 2023, serves as a reminder of the film’s upcoming release. The storyline follows former tennis star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), whose career ends due to a leg injury, as she reconnects with her pro husband Art (Mike Faist) and a former rival/lover Patrick (Josh O’Conner) years later.
The Amazon MGM Studios film was written by Justin Kuritzkes and features...
- 4/12/2024
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Den of Geek UK, in partnership with ScreenUK, celebrated the best of United Kingdom-produced film, television, animation and gaming at SXSW this year.
Despite it being widely recognized as a top highlight from this year’s Academy Awards, Ryan Gosling almost didn’t give his amazing “I’m Just Ken” performance.
“During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, the Barbie actor said his answer was “100 percent no” when he was first asked to perform the film’s hit song. ‘There’s a lot of ways that could go wrong,’ he explained.”
Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
Although tennis doesn’t typically hit the big screen the way other sports do, that’s beside the point in the Zendaya vehicle, Challengers.
“The tension in this game is all about the silent moments between points, and continuously hitting a small ball with a racquet doesn’t make for exciting entertainment.
Despite it being widely recognized as a top highlight from this year’s Academy Awards, Ryan Gosling almost didn’t give his amazing “I’m Just Ken” performance.
“During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, the Barbie actor said his answer was “100 percent no” when he was first asked to perform the film’s hit song. ‘There’s a lot of ways that could go wrong,’ he explained.”
Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
Although tennis doesn’t typically hit the big screen the way other sports do, that’s beside the point in the Zendaya vehicle, Challengers.
“The tension in this game is all about the silent moments between points, and continuously hitting a small ball with a racquet doesn’t make for exciting entertainment.
- 4/12/2024
- by Michael Ahr
- Den of Geek
Amazon MGM Studios’ latest featurette for Challengers features the film’s stars – Zendaya (Dune Parts 1 and 2), Mike Faist (West Side Story), and Josh O’Connor (The Crown) – discussing the R-rated drama. Zendaya, the center of a love triangle in the mesmerizing sports drama, says the film’s a rollercoaster of emotions that challenges the audience.
Oscar nominated director Luca Guadagnino describes the film as a “passionate love story where the rules of the game of tennis become the rules of the game of seduction.” And Zendaya considers tennis to be just the outlet for the characters to express their chaos.
Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi and Josh O’Connor as Patrick in ‘Challengers’ (Photo Credit © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
“From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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.
Oscar nominated director Luca Guadagnino describes the film as a “passionate love story where the rules of the game of tennis become the rules of the game of seduction.” And Zendaya considers tennis to be just the outlet for the characters to express their chaos.
Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi and Josh O’Connor as Patrick in ‘Challengers’ (Photo Credit © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
“From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, 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.
- 4/12/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Oscar-winning Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have taken on the challenge of making the “Challengers” score an unprecedented mix.
Aptly-titled “Challengers [Mixed],” the Sony Music release from Reznor and Ross includes nine tracks from the upcoming film’s electronic score, with each deconstructed and subsequently reimagined into a continuous mix by DJ and producer Boys Noize, who was hand-selected by the duo for the project. You can listen to it right here or stream it below.
“Challengers” marks Reznor and Ross’ second collaboration with auteur Luca Guadagnino following “Bones and All.” The feature, out in theaters in two weeks, follows the love triangle between tennis stars played by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist.
Director Guadagnino, despite not penning the “Challengers” script (instead that was written by frequent collaborator Justin Kuritzkes) did actually write lyrics to track “Compress/Repress,” as included in the Sony Music mix.
Reznor...
Aptly-titled “Challengers [Mixed],” the Sony Music release from Reznor and Ross includes nine tracks from the upcoming film’s electronic score, with each deconstructed and subsequently reimagined into a continuous mix by DJ and producer Boys Noize, who was hand-selected by the duo for the project. You can listen to it right here or stream it below.
“Challengers” marks Reznor and Ross’ second collaboration with auteur Luca Guadagnino following “Bones and All.” The feature, out in theaters in two weeks, follows the love triangle between tennis stars played by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist.
Director Guadagnino, despite not penning the “Challengers” script (instead that was written by frequent collaborator Justin Kuritzkes) did actually write lyrics to track “Compress/Repress,” as included in the Sony Music mix.
Reznor...
- 4/12/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Luca Guadagnino, the man credited for launching Timothée Chalamet’s hugely successful career in the exquisite 2017 LGBTQ-themed movie Call Me By Your Name, is back with the single most anticipated title of the year yet. First scheduled to premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in 2023, Challengers was eventually pulled out of the festival due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The film eventually premiered in in Sydney, Australia last month and will be released in the UK later this month.
Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, it tells the story of a passionate love triangle between three professional tennis players. Zendaya is also credited as producer on the film.
Tashi (Zendaya) Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, is married to Art Donaldson (Faist), a once promising champion who finds himself on a losing streak. Her ballsy strategy to get her husband winning again takes a rather surprising...
Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, it tells the story of a passionate love triangle between three professional tennis players. Zendaya is also credited as producer on the film.
Tashi (Zendaya) Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, is married to Art Donaldson (Faist), a once promising champion who finds himself on a losing streak. Her ballsy strategy to get her husband winning again takes a rather surprising...
- 4/12/2024
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Luca Guadagnino’s terrifically absorbing screwball dramedy features a devastatingly cool leading lady, Josh O’Connor on rallying form and zinging extended dialogue rallies to match
It’s almost too good to be true. Could cinema be witnessing the birth of a stunning new mixed doubles partnership? Last year, Korean-Canadian film-maker Celine Song gave us her wonderful, Oscar-nominated debut film Past Lives, a personal love-triangle movie about a South Korean woman in the US, married to a white American writer, poignantly reconnecting with her Korean childhood sweetheart; the fictional writer, incidentally, has a novel out called Boner. Now Song’s actual white American husband Justin Kuritzkes has written this love-triangle movie, an uproarious screwball dramedy of straight sex and queer tennis: one player, incidentally, is renowned for his large penis.
Some day, film school courses will be devoted to parallel-textual analyses of these two films, and maybe the legendary third wheel...
It’s almost too good to be true. Could cinema be witnessing the birth of a stunning new mixed doubles partnership? Last year, Korean-Canadian film-maker Celine Song gave us her wonderful, Oscar-nominated debut film Past Lives, a personal love-triangle movie about a South Korean woman in the US, married to a white American writer, poignantly reconnecting with her Korean childhood sweetheart; the fictional writer, incidentally, has a novel out called Boner. Now Song’s actual white American husband Justin Kuritzkes has written this love-triangle movie, an uproarious screwball dramedy of straight sex and queer tennis: one player, incidentally, is renowned for his large penis.
Some day, film school courses will be devoted to parallel-textual analyses of these two films, and maybe the legendary third wheel...
- 4/12/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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