Zendaya’s ‘Little Mermaid’ Look at the ‘Challengers’ Premiere Underlines Which Disney Icon She Was Actually Born to Play

The Challengers era is well and truly upon us and Zendaya has already given us her first iconic red carpet moment, accidentally channeling the world’s most famous mermaid in the process.

Zendaya has revolutionized movie premiere fashion. Ever since she began matching her looks with the films’ themes, the trend started to spread and become the standard. The press run for Dune: Part Two has only just concluded, giving us one of the most iconic looks from Zendaya and her loyal stylist Law Roach, and already the duo is stunning the public again at the Australian premiere of the actress’s upcoming tennis film Challengers.

Accompanied by her castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, the 27-year-old debuted her new light blonde hairdo, inspired by her Challengers character, framed by Bulgari earrings and stunning emerald-green eye makeup. Her custom Loewe dress by Jonathan Anderson was quite literally “serving,” as they say. A black figure of a tennis player’s serve appears printed on top of a matching green sequin figure-hugging plunging neckline gown. The outfit was extra special considering Anderson was also in charge of the costume design in Challengers, whose tennis fashion sported by its three gorgeous leads will undoubtedly become a cultural moment.

Beyond the evident tennis elements in the sparkly Loewe piece, we couldn’t help but think of our favorite mermaid when we first saw Zendaya walk the carpet. The magical shade of green mirrored one of Ariel’s most emblematic dresses, worn by the character repeatedly in merchandise and inspired by the color of her tail in mermaid form. Still, Halle Bailey, who appeared in Beyoncé’s “All Night” music video with the Emmy-winning actress, is perfectly irreplaceable in the role, so if Zendaya ever sets her eyes on a Disney reunion we know just the princess she was born to play (and no, it’s not Moana).

Challengers is Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s latest feature film about a former tennis player (Zendaya) who decides to coach her husband (Faist) after an injury and ends up signing him up for a Challenger event against their (yes, plural) ex-boyfriend (O’Connor). After several delays, the movie will hit theaters April 26, 2024.