Fans were left shaking their heads in disbelief after stumbling upon an unofficial movie flyer for Zendaya’s upcoming flick, “Challengers.”
The graphic, courtesy of Films to Films, featured Zendaya flanked by co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, engaged in a game of tennis. But the kicker? The title, or rather, the incomplete title: “CHALLE…NGERS.”
Quick-witted fans didn’t miss a beat, noticing that the missing letters spelled out a certain, shall we say, unsavory word that shares a similar arrangement of the letters ‘NGERS’. Social media exploded with shock and outrage.
“They called Zendaya a what??” one incredulous user tweeted, summing up the collective sentiment.
“They KNEW what they were doing,” one person posted on X. As someone else added, “And this is why DEI hires are important.”
“This has to be a parody,” another user wrote. “I refuse to believe this is real.”
As comments poured in, Films to Films founder Hugh Welchman attempted damage control. But instead of taking down the post, he doubled down, redirecting traffic to his YouTube channel.
Needless to say, fans were less than impressed, opting to steer clear of his online antics.
Amidst the social media firestorm, Zendaya remained focused on promoting the film, expressing gratitude for the support while acknowledging the weight of her first leading role.
“This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous,” she shared on Instagram.
But with a star-studded cast and a juicy love triangle storyline, it’s clear that Zendaya’s nerves are just part of the excitement surrounding “Challengers.”
While fans are anxiously awaiting the film’s release, celebrity pals like Maxwell and Tina Knowles have already showered Zendaya with praise. With endorsements like that, it’s safe to say that “Challengers” is primed to hit the theaters with a bang.
