At first glance, Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming tennis film “Challengers” — which recently pulled out of the Venice Film Festival and delayed its theatrical release due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike — might seem like it covers familiar narrative territory for the director.Zendaya stars as a successful tennis coach who becomes embroiled in a love triangle with her professional tennis player husband (Josh O’Connor) and his friend and rival who happens to be her ex-boyfriend.
The queer undertones that emerge seem to evoke past works from the desire-obsessed director, such as “Call Me By Your Name.” But Guadagnino has resisted comparisons to his other works, calling the film “first comedy” as a director.In a new profile in V, O’Connor spoke about his “Challengers” director’s sense of humor.
As it turns out, Guadagnino appreciates R-rated American comedies as much as arthouse classics.“Actually, there was one night when…
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