Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist to headline Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’

Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has roped in actors Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist to lead his next directorial venture “Challengers”.

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The sports romance drama movie, which will start production later this year, is based on a 2021 Black List script by Justin Kuritzkes, reported Deadline.

The story follows Tashi (Zendaya), a tennis player-turned-coach who has taken her husband, Art (Faist), and transformed him from a mediocre player into a world-famous Grand Slam champion.

To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a “Challenger” event — close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour — where he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick (O’Connor): his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.

The project is being produced by Amy Pascal and her Pascal Pictures banner as well as Zendaya and Guadagnino.

Zendaya, who featured in blockbusters “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and“Dune” in 2021, currently stars in HBO series“Euphoria”.

O’Connor, the Emmy-winning star of Netflix’s royal drama“The Crown”, will next feature in “Lee”, opposite Kate Winslet, and “The History of Sound”, co-starring Paul Mescal.

Faist recently broke out with his role as Riff in Steven Spielberg’s musical “West Side Story”.