Challengers, Italian director Luca Guadagnino's much-talked-about film starring Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress Zendaya ("Euphoria," "Spider-Man," "Dune"), will open the 80th Venice Film Festival, overseas websites announced Thursday.
Euphoria - Trailer. Courtesy of HOT (archive)
Zendaya, 26, stars in the lead female role in the sports comedy-drama alongside actors Josh O'Connor ("The Crown") and Mike Feist ("West Side Story"), with a romantic and sensual love triangle forming between Tashi Donaldson, a Grand Slam-winning tennis player turned coach played by Zendaya, and her husband, a late-career tennis player named Art (played by Feist) and his childhood friend and former lover of Tashi Patrick (played by O'Connor), In front of him, he finds himself competing (and not just on the field...).
Here is the trailer:
It is Guadagnino's first full-length film to win the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion Award, whose film credits include films such as "I Am Love," "Call Me By Your Name" (with Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet) and "Suspiria."
"It's a bold modern story about youthful energy, love and strength," Guadagnino said in a press statement. Zendaya, Josh and Mike are original and innovative and bring a new energy like never before," the esteemed director praised his lead actors. "As a creator it's a dream come true and I thank Alberto [Alberto Barbara, festival director; And to the entire Venice festival family for the wonderful recognition of the film," he concluded excitedly.
The 80th Venice Film Festival is scheduled to open on August 30 and run until September 9, with the film expected to be released in the U.S. on September 15.
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