It’s been a busy day on the court for Fox Searchlight’s tennis pic, Battle of the Sexes.
Not only did the feature cast The Good Wife star Alan Cumming, but there’s also word of Austin Stowell (Whiplash) and Bill Pullman boarding Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ sports drama as production gets underway. Last but certainly not least, Fox Searchlight has also premiered our first look at Emma Stone and Steve Carell in character, as they anchor the period movie as Billie Jean King and former Wimbledon champ, Bobby Riggs.
Taking from what we assume to be a pre-match press conference, Stone and Carell are all smiles in today’s first peek, though don’t expect those happy faces to linger for too long once both players are geared up and on the court. For in 1973, Stone’s Billie Jean King captured the imagination of the tennis world when she called the 55-year-old Riggs out of retirement for a decisive head to head – one viewed by close to 50 million Americans.
Also starring Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue and Sarah Silverman as an astute reporter that helped champion Kings’ cause, Battle of the Sexes is one of three feature films based on the Riggs vs. King clash that is currently simmering in the works. Elsewhere, there’s also Proof starring Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti, along with the Will Ferrell-fronted Match Maker.
Despite heated competition on and off the court, it is Battle of the Sexes that has emerged as an early frontrunner now that Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ movie has jogged in front of the cameras. Expect Fox Searchlight to debut the finished article in early 2017.