Timothée Chalamet has wowed audiences across a variety of genres, from sci-fi blockbuster Dune to charming musical Wonka to Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. In the upcoming Marty Supreme, he embraces yet another genre: the sports film.
Directed by Josh Safide and distributed by A24, Marty Supreme takes viewers into the high-stakes world of 1950s table tennis through the eyes of ping pong star Marty Mauser (Chalamet). Marty is inspired loosely by real-life American table tennis legend Marty Reisman.
The film’s first trailer introduces Marty as a man with a very big, very specific dream of achieving greatness in ping pong. While the sport may not be the most popular in the US, it sells out stadiums overseas, and Marty believes the US won’t be far behind. Next up: stardom, and a coveted spot on a Wheaties box. One paper is already calling him “the chosen one”… wait, does that make Marty the Lisan al-Gaib of ping pong?
Safdie co-wrote the film with Ronald Bronstein. The film marks his first solo directorial project since 2008’s The Pleasure of Being Robbed. Since then, he’s directed films with his brother Benny Safdie, including A24 collaborations Uncut Gems and Good Time. Benny Safdie also has an A24 sports movie coming out this year with The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as wrestler Mark Kerr. Could we be seeing a Safdie showdown come awards season?
Marty Supreme also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma (aka Tyler, the Creator), Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher. See them in action, along with Chalamet’s sick ping pong moves, in the full trailer above.
Marty Supreme hits theaters Dec. 25.
