In 1973, Billie Jean King, then the world’s number one female tennis player, and Bobby Riggs, a 55-year-old former champion, competed in an exhibition match dubbed the Battle of the Sexes.
Now the directorial duo behind Little Miss Sunshine is retelling the story in their new biopic of the same title, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell in the lead roles.
The match drew a massive television audience and sparked global controversy, broadening the conversation on gender equality and spurring on the feminist cause.
While the meeting between these two great players will provide the film’s central plot, the trailer suggests that Battle of the Sexes might also tell a more nuanced tale of an athlete coming to terms with her sexuality while in the limelight.
The film also stars Andrea Riseborough, Alan Cumming, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman and Elisabeth Shue, and is written by Slumdog Millionaire‘s Simon Beaufoy.
Battle of the Sexes hits cinemas 24 November. Let us know what you make of the trailer by tweeting @LWLies
Published 18 May 2017
By Fred Wagner
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