‘Tenzing’ Trailer Recreates Historic Everest Ascent With Genden Phuntsok and Tom Hiddleston

Apple Original Films has released the official Tenzing trailer, offering a new look at Genden Phuntsok as legendary Himalayan climber Tenzing Norgay and Tom Hiddleston as New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary in Jennifer Peedom’s dramatization of the historic 1953 Mount Everest expedition.

The film will open in select theaters October 9 before streaming globally on Apple TV October 16. Apple’s trailer announcement positions Norgay’s experience at the center of the story, following his effort to join the British climbing team and the partnership with Hillary that ultimately carried both men to Everest’s summit.

Tenzing trailer puts Norgay’s perspective at the center

The historical destination is well known, but Peedom’s film approaches the expedition through Norgay’s perspective. Phuntsok plays the gifted climber as he works to establish that he belongs on the expedition as a member of the climbing team rather than simply serving the British mountaineers attempting the ascent.

Apple’s synopsis contrasts the expedition’s different relationships with the mountain. While the Western climbers approach Everest as a summit to reach, Norgay understands Chomolungma through its sacred significance in Tibetan culture. That distinction gives the climb a personal and spiritual dimension alongside its physical danger.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Peedom wanted the film to explore that spiritual relationship rather than frame the story solely around conquest. The director previously examined the culture and risks surrounding Himalayan climbing in her 2015 documentary Sherpa.

Watch the Tenzing trailer

Apple’s official trailer previews Norgay and Hillary’s developing partnership as the expedition moves toward the increasingly dangerous upper reaches of Everest.

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Peedom also told the publication that the production consulted Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition before his death in 2025, as the filmmakers developed the project.

Tom Hiddleston plays Edmund Hillary opposite Genden Phuntsok

Hiddleston portrays Hillary, who ultimately reaches the summit alongside Norgay. Their relationship becomes increasingly central as the expedition moves higher, with Apple describing the pair as outsiders who develop mutual respect and trust despite the differences surrounding them.

Phuntsok leads the film as Norgay. Thinley Lhamo plays his wife, Dawa, while Caitríona Balfe appears as expedition secretary Jill Henderson. Willem Dafoe plays Colonel John Hunt, leader of the British expedition.

The Apple TV press page also lists Tenzin Dalha among the principal cast. Peedom directs from a screenplay by Luke Davies, with the story credited to Peedom and Davies.

The film is produced by Peedom, Davies, Desray Armstrong and Liz Watts alongside Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films. Norbu Tenzing, Simon Gillis and David Michôd serve as executive producers.

Tenzing revisits the first confirmed Everest summit

Norgay and Hillary reached Everest’s summit on May 29, 1953, becoming the first climbers confirmed to have reached the highest point on Earth. The achievement became one of the defining mountaineering events of the 20th century, but Tenzing is designed to shift attention toward the experiences and identity of the man whose name appears first in the film’s title.

The movie dramatizes the tensions surrounding Norgay’s place within the expedition while also following his relationship with Hillary. The newly released footage moves between the scale of the Himalayan landscape, dangerous climbing conditions and quieter exchanges among the expedition members.

The A.V. Club independently reported the trailer’s release and October schedule, noting that the project marks Peedom’s first narrative feature after her documentary work.

The historical relationship also gives the film material beyond the summit itself. Hiddleston told Entertainment Weekly that learning about Hillary led him to the mountaineer’s later work supporting communities in Nepal’s Khumbu region, where Hillary helped establish schools and infrastructure through the Himalayan Trust.

Tenzing arrives on Apple TV in October

The film has already begun its festival run ahead of its wider release. Its October schedule gives Apple a short theatrical window before the movie becomes available to streaming audiences worldwide.

Tenzing joins a growing slate of Apple films built around recognizable filmmakers and major ensemble casts. TSJ has also been following Apple’s television pipeline, including the return of Slow Horses, another current Apple production featuring a prominent British ensemble.

For Tenzing, however, the emphasis remains on Phuntsok’s portrayal of Norgay and the historical expedition that changed mountaineering history. The Tenzing trailer is now the fullest preview of Peedom’s interpretation before the film reaches select theaters October 9 and Apple TV October 16.