Shia LaBeouf Is Oscar-Ready in First Look at John McEnroe Biopic

Here's an early peek at Shia LaBeouf as tennis legend John McEnroe in next year's 'Borg/McEnroe.'

October 5, 2016

Not Available Lead — Image via Complex Original

If Shia LaBeouf's top-tier performance in Andrea Arnold's American Honey has you wondering what dude has up his sleeve in the years ahead, look no further than the bombastic career of tennis legend John McEnroe. LaBeouf will portray the Grand Slam icon in Janus Metz Pedersen's Borg/McEnroe, a biopic chronicling the famous rivalry between McEnroe and Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason).

Speaking to Variety surrounding the Cannes premiere of American Honey in May, LaBeouf said he was initially drawn to the project after reading the "brilliant" script. "We are all here because of that," LaBeouf said of Ronnie Sandahl's writing. "I cried the first time I read it. It's not based on a book or a biography. It's based on hard work."

LaBeouf previously passed on a separate McEnroe film, citing its Sandler-esque levels of shittiness. "It was another movie called Superbrat about John McEnroe, and it was satirical, like a cartoon character like Happy Gilmore," LaBeouf toldVariety. "And you know, I read it, it wasn't very good and I initially thought it was the same project. But then I saw his name [Janus Metz Pedersen] and I thought, 'No, that doesn't make any fucking sense.' And I was a fan of his film."

And how does the consistently outspoken McEnroe feel about the movie? Well, let's go with very McEnroe-y. "It doesn't seem like they are all that interested in talking with me," McEnroe toldVanity Fair in September. "I don't know how you can do it without ever meeting me. Maybe you could talk to a few of my friends. I can barely remember what I was like 36 years ago when I was 21 years old. It could be entertaining. If it's good, it'd be cool. Let's hope."

Borg/McEnroe, which is currently in production in Prague, is expected to hit theaters at some point in 2017.