In recent years, the Toronto International Film Festival has aimed to put awards contenders or blockbusters with big stars as their opening night film. However, next month they’re switching things up with “Borg/McEnroe,” whose biggest star is the controversial Shia LaBeouf, and even more, it’s a movie without a U.S. release date at the moment. But perhaps it speaks to the potential power of the picture that programmers have put it front and center.
Sverrir Gudnason co-stars in the movie that details the historic 1980 showdown between Björn Borg and John McEnroe at Wimbledon. It was a historic tennis match, and it’s coming back to cinematic life. Here’s the official synopsis:
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It’s the summer of 1980 and Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) is the top tennis player in the world, dominating the sport both on and off the court. A powerful and rigorously disciplined player, there is only one obstacle in his pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Wimbledon championship: the highly talented but ferociously abrasive young American, John McEnroe (a perfectly cast Shia LaBeouf).
“Borg vs McEnroe” opens in the U.K. on September 22nd. We’ll keep you posted on the U.S. launch as soon as details arrive.