On September 20, 1973, tennis champion Billie Jean King (age 29 then) defeated self-proclaimed male chauvinist Bobby “No-Broad-Can-Beat-Me” Riggs in the “Battle Of The Sexes” tennis match. An estimated 50 million viewers tuned in to watch, making it the most viewed U.S. tennis match of all time. More importantly, King’s victory made it a game-changer for women’s tennis.
Now, this infamous exhibition game and the story behind it is coming to the big screen. The new film trailer for Battle of the Sexes shows Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs going head-to-head as they prepare for the big match.
Here’s the film’s synopsis:
The electrifying 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs was billed as THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES. The match caught the zeitgeist and sparked a global conversation on gender equality, spurring on the feminist movement. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposite sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With a supportive husband urging her to fight the Establishment for equal pay, the fiercely private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past. Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis courts and animated the discussions between men and women in bedrooms and boardrooms around the world.
The cast also includes: Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, Jessica Mcnamee, Natalie Morales, Fred Armisen, Martha MacIsaac, Mickey Sumner, Bridey Elliott, Eric Christian Olsen, Wallace Langham, and Matt Malloy.
The film is directed by the husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, creators of the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine and indie favorite Ruby Sparks.
Battle of the Sexes hit theaters September 22, 2017.