It’s not quite an awards release, but it’s definitely edging the line. Fox has set the theatrical release for the upcoming Emma Stone/Steve Carell re-team Battle of the Sexes for September 22, 2017. The two previously starred together in Crazy, Stupid, Love and have now reunited for an epic tennis biopic about the infamous match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (the two minds behind Little Miss Sunshine), this film also marks the second collaboration between Carell and the filmmaking team. If we’re lucky, this project will have a similar mix of joy and levity that Little Miss Sunshine emitted.
Battle of the Sexes tells the story of one of the most watched televised sports matches of all time. While taking place in a particularly rife time for feminism and gender equality, the film will reveal many battles on and off the court. King deals with her husband and his pressure to further her career while also facing truths about her own sexuality. Riggs deals with the pressure for a comeback to recapture the glory of his prime tennis career. Both players become part of a cultural and social conversation rare to sporting events.
Also starring in the film is Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, the late Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, and many more. Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy penned the screenplay.