Zendaya’s ‘Challengers’ scrapped from the Venice Film Festival opening due to the actors’ strike
Luca Guadagnino’s film “Challengers,” starring Zendaya, faced a setback as it was pulled from the prestigious Venice Film Festival, where it was initially scheduled to be the opening night feature. The reason behind this decision was the ongoing actors strike, which led to performers refraining from working or promoting their projects, including attending red carpet events.
“Challengers” is an R-rated romantic drama centered around Zendaya’s character, Tashi Duncan, a talented tennis coach caught in a love triangle. The story revolves around her complex relationships with two fellow players who happen to be best friends, Art (played by Mike Faist) and old flame Patrick (played by Josh O’Connor). As the plot unfolds, Duncan orchestrates a messy reunion between herself, Art, and Patrick, all while they compete against each other in the “Challengers” tennis tournament.
Originally slated to premiere on August 30 at the Venice Film Festival before its theatrical release on September 15, distributor MGM (owned by Amazon Studios) had to make a tough call. In light of the actors’ strike guidelines set forth by SAG-AFTRA, they chose to withdraw “Challengers” from the current year’s Venice International Film Festival. Instead, the film will now hit theaters on April 26 of the following year, allowing the ensemble cast, director Luca Guadagnino, and the filmmaking team to properly celebrate the project at a later date.
This marks the first instance of a major fall festival film being affected by the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Many industry professionals are closely monitoring the situation, concerned about the potential disruptions these strikes might cause to other major fall film festivals such as Telluride, Toronto, and New York. These festivals typically serve as crucial platforms for launching fall movies, but without the presence of stars, the premieres may lack their usual fanfare.
As a replacement for “Challengers,” the 80th Venice Film Festival will now open with Edoardo De Angelis’s film “Comandante.”
Moreover, the strikes have had a cascading effect on other films scheduled for release in August. A24’s “Problemista,” a film by Julio Torres starring Tilda Swinton, and Lionsgate’s “White Bird,” a spinoff of the movie “Wonder” directed by Marc Foster, have both been delayed until later in the year.
