A24
Timothée Chalamet Serves Up Intensity in ‘Marty Supreme’ — Josh Safdie’s Ping Pong Drama Drops First Trailer
The first trailer for Marty Supreme has arrived, and Timothée Chalamet is swinging for the fences — or rather, smashing across the net. Directed by Josh Safdie in his first solo feature since 2008’s The Pleasure of Being Robbed, the sports dramedy transports audiences to the smoky, neon-lit world of 1950s competitive ping pong, where ambition meets obsession.
The film follows Marty Mauser, a young man with an improbable dream to become a world-class ping pong champion in an era when the sport was seen as little more than a parlor pastime. The official synopsis teases: “A young man with a dream no one respects goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.”
Timothée Chalamet’s Marty isn’t just chasing trophies — he’s chasing validation. Along the way, he begins a scandalous affair with a glamorous movie star, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, adding a layer of smoky Hollywood drama to the high-speed rallies. Fran Drescher appears as Marty’s sharp-tongued mother, rapper Tyler, the Creator makes his feature acting debut, magician Penn Jillette adds eccentric flair, Odessa A’zion brings youthful energy, “Shark Tank” mogul Kevin O’Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) offers a surprising turn, and maverick filmmaker Abel Ferrara joins in an unexpected cameo.
The script, co-written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein, draws inspiration from the life of real-world ping pong legend Marty Reisman, a five-time bronze medalist at the World Table Tennis Championships. Though fictionalized, the story captures the same swagger, risk-taking, and underdog grit that made Marty Reisman a cult sports figure before his death in 2012.
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Renowned cinematographer Darius Khondji, who previously worked on Uncut Gems, revealed that Timothée Chalamet underwent intense training to perfect his gameplay. “He wanted to be like a real [professional] ping pong player when he started shooting,” Darius Khondji said earlier this year. The trailer shows that commitment — with blistering close-ups of rallies, sweat-drenched moments of defeat, and electric bursts of victory.
Marty Supreme is also notable for being Josh Safdie’s first feature without his brother and creative partner, Benny Safdie, since Uncut Gems became an instant classic in 2019: Timothée Chalamet, a longtime fan of the Safdie brothers.
With its combination of vintage sports aesthetics, Tyler, the Creator, Gwyneth Paltrow, gritty Safdie-style tension, and a charismatic Timothée Chalamet performance, Marty Supreme is poised to become this holiday season’s dark horse hit. A24 will release the film in theaters on December 25 — a perfect counter-programming to blockbuster fare, for audiences seeking high-stakes drama in an unexpected arena.
