Tennis seems to be all the rage these days. “Battle of the Sexes,” the story of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), is hitting theaters soon, and coming right behind is “Borg Vs McEnroe,” centering on arguably the most famous rivalry in tennis history: Swedish player Björn Borg versus American John McEnroe. The men met 14 times on the regular tour and 22 times in total, but the movie focuses on the Wimbledon Championship showdown in 1980. The match between the two rivals is considered one of the greatest games in tennis history (if not the greatest) and the drama surrounding this game should make for some seriously compelling stuff.
The sports drama stars Sverrir Gudnason as the cool, calm and collected Borg and Shia LaBeouf as the hot-headed, impulsive McEnroe known for his vexed outbursts during games and the fines he received for all his vulgarities. Here’s the official synopsis:
Borg vs McEnroe is a film about one of the world’s greatest icons Björn Borg and his biggest rival, the young and talented John McEnroe and their legendary duel during the 1980’s Wimbledon tournament. It’s a story about two men that became legends and the price they had to pay.
A Swedish production, “Borg Vs. McEnroe” is directed by Janus Metz Pedersen (“Armadillo,” “True Detective” season 2), from a screenplay written by Ronnie Sandahl, and stars Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny, and Robert Emms. The movie is slated for release on September 22nd in the U.K, but has no official U.S. release date yet. However, given that September date, don’t be surprised if the film drops on the fall festival circuit first. Fingers crossed.
