Challengers, the new film set in the world of professional tennis, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, has secured the high-profile opening film slot at the Venice film festival.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the Italian film-maker best known for Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All, Challengers features Zendaya as a player turned coach called Tashi whose husband (Faist) has to play her ex-boyfriend (O’Connor) in a key game. According to the synopsis provided by the festival: “As their pasts and presents collide and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself what will it cost to win.”
