Discover Shia LaBeouf as John McEnroe in the Teaser Trailer for ‘Borg vs. McEnroe’

With Wimbledon in full swing, there is no better time to unveil the intriguing Swedish biographical film, Borg vs. McEnroe, with a first teaser trailer featuring Shia LaBeouf as tennis legend, John McEnroe.

Shouting his now famous “You cannot be serious!” (for our greatest pleasure) in the 30-second video preview, LaBeouf portrays the American sportsman, former World No. 1 and also probably the profession’s worst-tempered contestant (even Andy Roddick got nothing on him) for the upcoming movie focusing on the fierce rivalry between McEnroe and, also former world No. 1, Björn Borg, played by Swedish actor, Sverrir Gudnason.

 

The movie’s plot will particularly emphasize on the contrasting temperaments and styles of the 2 tennis superstars as it will be set during the 1980 Wimbledon Championships where McEnroe reached the men’s singles final for the first time, facing Borg, who was aiming for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. The tension and competitiveness on the court were such that it became a match for the ages, now widely considered one of the greatest tennis games ever played.

British magazine Empire revealed the teaser online today, taking advantage of the current excitement surrounding the beginning of this year’s prominent Wimbledon championships.

Borg vs. McEnroe was shot during the summer 2016 in Gothenburg, Prague, London, and Monaco under the supervision of Danish director, Janus Metz Pedersen, mostly known for directing the 2010 documentary about the War in Afghanistan, Armadillo, and one episode of the HBO drama, True Detective.

When asked about the project back in 2016, Shia LaBeouf expressed his excitement about portraying McEnroe as the actor identified strongly with the character and felt that he is a “misunderstood person”. He also pointed out how different working with Scandinavian directors can be. “They make better movies. Scandinavian filmmaking is different. It’s a different pace, a different relationship between the crew — the bonds are different,” he explained during an interview at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

As for the one who plays his rival, Sverrir Gudnason was cast for his strong resemblance with Borg. To look the part even more, the actor spent 6 months training 15 hours a week.

The cast of the film also includes  Stellan Skarsgård as Borg’s coach Lennart Bergelin, Tuva Novotny, and Robert Emms.

Borg vs. McEnroe is set to be released in Europe during the fall. No date has been announced for the United States yet.