Zendaya’s New 91% Rotten Tomatoes Sports Drama Success Is Great News For 3-Year-Old Movie’s Sequel Plans

Summary

• Challengers’ success could lead to the greenlighting of a trilogy for another sports drama released in 2021.
• Serena Williams’ idea for a King Richard trilogy could become a reality following the biopic’s success.
• The potential King Richard trilogy could explore Venus and Serena Williams’ legendary professional tennis careers.

The success of Zendaya’s new sports drama Challengers, which holds a critics score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, could potentially help greenlight the trilogy plans for another sports drama that was released to great acclaim in 2021. Zendaya both led the Challengers cast and was an executive producer on the Luca Guadagnino-directed film. Zendaya played Tashi Duncan in Challengers, a junior tennis star whose hopes for a successful professional career were dashed when she sadly injured herself in college and couldn’t recover well enough to compete at the same level she previously had.

The other two main characters, Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson, were played by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist respectively. The Challengers timeline starts in 2006, when Tashi first meets best friends, doubles partners, and competitors Patrick and Art. The present story takes place in 2019 when Art and Patrick compete against each other in the finals of the 2019 New Rochelle Challenger. Challengers explores the downfall of their friendship, the differing directions of their tennis careers, and the role Tashi played in it all. Though Challengers isn’t based on a true story, many other great tennis movies, like King Richard, are.

Challengers’ Success Could Help Serena Williams’ King Richard Trilogy Idea Happen

King Richard Could Have More Than Just A Sequel

Like Challengers, the tennis drama King Richard was a critical success when it premiered in 2021. The biopic about Venus and Serena Williams’ father and tennis coach currently holds a critics score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 98% with over 1,000 verified ratings. King Richard won Will Smith his first Academy Award, and Zendaya is already receiving Oscars buzz for Challengers. However, in the three years since King Richard premiered, the sequel plan Serena came up with has yet to come to fruition.

The Williams sisters served as executive producers on their father’s biopic, and following its success, Serena shared her ideas for a King Richard trilogy. Though young Venus and Serena, played brilliantly by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton respectively, play big roles in King Richard, it’s ultimately their father’s story. Serena proposed a sequel focusing on Venus’ career and then a third film focusing on her own to complete the King Richard trilogy.

King Richard Couldn’t Have Hit Netflix At A More Perfect Time

King Richard Hit Netflix on April 24

After originally streaming on Max, King Richard hit Netflix on April 24, just before Challengers was released in theaters on April 26. This timing is perfect for both films, as they easily get viewers in the mood for more tennis dramas. With the addition of King Richard to Netflix’s streaming library, the sports biopic is becoming very popular again, reminding viewers of why it was such a success in the first place and introducing the story to new audiences as well.

King Richard getting a second wind and the success Challengers is already experiencing proves there could be interest in continuing the Williams sisters’ story through a King Richard trilogy. While Venus is still playing, Serena Williams retired the year after King Richard was released. It’s unclear when Venus will join Serena in retirement, but with her best years behind her, audiences could be eager to revisit their glory days.

How A King Richard Movie Trilogy Could Work After The 2021 Movie’s Success

King Richard Didn’t Explore Venus and Serena’s Professional Careers

King Richard ends after Venus’ first professional tournament in 1994, which sadly ended in the second round with a loss to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Despite a rough beginning, Venus went on to have one of the most successful tennis careers in the history of the game, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles, three Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles with Serena, and two mixed doubles major titles. King Richard didn’t even explore the professional career of Serena, who is considered the greatest female tennis player of all time with a combined 39 major titles.

The Williams sisters were extremely successful on the court, but they also have plenty of interesting stories to tell from their professional careers. They both went through ups and downs and received great media attention while unfortunately facing racial abuse and discrimination. The Williams sisters are legendary, and not making films about them after the success of King Richard and Challengers would be a missed opportunity.

Where To Watch King Richard