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A dramatic remix of Rihanna’s “S&M” serves as the perfect backdrop for the love triangle, sexual tension-filled trailer of Luca Guadagnino‘s upcoming film, Challengers, released Tuesday. The film is out Sept. 15.
The new film follows tennis star Tashi Duncan alongside her husband Art (Mike Faist) as they reconnect with a former rival Patrick (Josh O’Conner) years after the trio had a love triangle moment in their youth.
The video opens with Zendaya meeting the two boys as she begins her career as a teenager, when she’s expected to be one of the biggest sports stars. “You were incredible today. I mean, it wasn’t even like tennis. It was an entirely different game,” says Art approaching Tashi at an event.
The trailer then cuts to a scene where Tashi makes out with both guys in a hotel room. The seeming mènage á trios leads to drama between the two stars, before Tashi suffers a career-altering leg injury.
The trailer fast-forwards to years later, where Tashi is now Art’s tennis coach (and wife) ahead of a Challengers tennis tournament, where the two former best friends will have to face each other on the court.
“You know what tennis is?” Tashi says. “It’s a relationship.”
Guandagnino told Variety that Zendaya trained three months with former player Brad Gilbert to prepare for the role. “She’s wonderful,” Guadagnino said. “I mean, wow. We edited the movie and we almost actually don’t use any of her double. She’s so good.”
Written by Justin Kuritzkes, the film’s score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Amy Pascal of Spider-Man: No Way Home is charged with producing alongside Guadagnino and EP Bernard Bellew.
