Will Zendaya's Challengers face another release date delay?

Los Angeles, California - Zendaya is set to return to the big screen with the highly-anticipated Challengers, but could the movie face yet another delay?

Zendaya's next movie, Challengers, may be delayed amid the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes.
Zendaya's next movie, Challengers, may be delayed amid the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes.  © Collage: IMAGO / Everett Collection & Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

In the upcoming rom-com, the 26-year-old stars as Tashi, a former tennis star who coaches her husband to his own success in the sport. Things get messy when her ex re-enters the picture as her husband's latest challenger on the court.

Though Challengers was originally aiming for an August theatrical release, it was ultimately pushed to September 15.

The Luca Guadagnino-directed flick has also earned the top spot at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, with a premiere slated for August 30.

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But with SAG-AFTRA joining the ongoing WGA strike for fair compensation, the annual festival is not likely to go on as normal.

In agreement with the conditions of the strike, Zendaya and other SAG-member actors are not allowed to promote movies created by struck companies, so if Challengers were to get a premiere, the red carpet would go on sans its actors.

According to a report from Puck, Guadagnino is reportedly looking to delay the movie's release, but Amazon has not yet made an official call.

Will there be a Challengers press tour?

"Of course the actors will not do promotion," the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter. "We have to understand from the studio what they want to do; then we will decide how to proceed."

Zendaya's ability to pull attention through show-stopping red carpet appearances and other promotional ventures is a key factor of concern here, so missing out on a press tour is likely to significantly impact the performance of the movie.

Though the strike is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, the Venice Film Festival is set to go on as planned.

However, the festival team has created an alternative plan in which European films would take the focus should American films not participate.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / Everett Collection & Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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