Challengers Delayed: Zendaya's Steamy Tennis Flick Pushed Back To 2024

Zendaya's "Challengers" is going through its fair share of release challenges...

Audiences were stunned earlier this summer when the first trailer for "Challengers" debuted. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film highlights the world of competitive tennis. Zendaya stars as a tennis prodigy who embarks upon a steamy romance with Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist's characters. Years later, the trio reunite on the court, where love and talent come face to face in a high-stakes tennis event.

Guadagnino is no stranger to romantic flicks — he directed the Oscar-winning adaptation of "Call Me By Your Name" and last year's cannibal-romance "Bones and All" — but this is the first time the Italian director is stepping into the world of sports. While speaking with IndieWire in 2022, the director expressed how excited he was to unleash "Challengers" upon the world, discussing its rich and nuanced characters. "I think those three characters in ["Challengers] are beautifully complex and really [expletive] people that I love very much," the director said. "And a sports film, why not? It's hyperkinetic, and I do films, so it's great."

Distributed by Amazon's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, "Challengers" was on track to grace U.S. cinemas on September 15. Unfortunately, Deadline says that Zendaya's latest is being pushed all the way back to 2024, thanks to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The film is now set to open on April 26 2024, nearly a whole year after its expected debut.

"Challengers" was on track to be the opening film at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, which is set to kick off on 30 August. With the Zendaya flick now on track to open next spring, the "Challengers" premiere has been canceled. This development makes sense considering that the rules of the SAG-AFTRA strike say that actors can't promote their own films, which includes, but is not limited to, attending premieres. This is a major blow for "Challengers" considering it was on track to debut just in time for awards season. With a spring 2024 date, only time will tell if Luca Guadagnino's flick can make an impression at the following year's Oscars. 

"Challengers" isn't the only major Hollywood production going through troubles because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. A number of high-profile productions, including Marvel Studios' "Deadpool 3," have had to pause productions due to the strike. With actors unable to promote upcoming releases or finish up post-production work,  several 2023 films, like "Challengers" are on track to be delayed. Variety says that Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring the possibility of postponing several of its high-profile 2023 releases, including "Dune: Part Two" and "Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom." As of this writing, Warner Bros. has not made a decision. With "Challengers" folding and grabbing a 2024 release, it's only a matter of time before more studios and distributors pivot their 2023 theatrical plans.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.