Deadline has reported that Fox Searchlight has set a start date on Battle of the Sexes, based on the gender-battle tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will helm the project, while Emma Stone (Birdman) and Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) are set to play King and Riggs respectively. Simon Beaufoy, Oscar winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire has written the script, which is being co-produced by Danny Boyle (127 Hours).
The race to get the film out first will be crucial, as two other rival projects are set to go into production this year as well: Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti are playing King and Riggs in a HBO and Playtone production, while Will Ferrell is still circling Match Maker, which is being co-produced by his own Gary Sanchez Productions.
The story of King and Riggs became a zeitgeist event back in 1973, when the 29-year old No. 2 ranked female star rose to the challenge and beat the 55-year old retired former Wimbledon champion Riggs.
Battle of the Sexes is set to be released in 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pnc360pUDRI&list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published April 22, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
