Tenzing opens in select theaters October 9, 2026, before streaming worldwide on Apple TV on October 16. The first trailer turns the historic Everest climb into Tenzing Norgay’s story instead of treating him as a supporting figure in someone else’s achievement.
Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing, while Tom Hiddleston plays New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary. The two men become partners on the expedition that takes them to the summit, but the film begins long before their final push up the mountain.
Tenzing has to earn his place on the team
The trailer shows Tenzing as an experienced Himalayan climber who knows the mountain and its dangers. Even with that experience, he is not immediately treated as an equal by the British expedition. He must convince Colonel John Hunt that he belongs on the climbing team, not only among the people carrying its equipment.
Willem Dafoe plays Hunt. Caitríona Balfe appears as expedition secretary Jill Henderson, one of the people who helps Tenzing make his case. The story uses those relationships to show the class divisions and old ideas about empire that follow the climbers all the way to Everest.
The mountain means something different to Tenzing. Western members of the expedition speak about conquering Everest. He knows it as Chomolungma, the sacred mother goddess. That difference gives the climb a personal and spiritual meaning beyond reaching the highest point.
Edmund Hillary becomes Tenzing’s partner
Hiddleston’s Hillary arrives as another outsider on the British team. The trailer shows the two men learning to trust each other while the expedition moves through deep crevasses, steep ice and dangerous weather.
The climbing scenes are large and tense, but the movie keeps returning to the people under the heavy coats and oxygen equipment. Tenzing and Hillary need each other to survive, and their partnership grows stronger as rank and background matter less high on the mountain.
Dawa keeps the story connected to home
Thinley Lhamo plays Tenzing’s wife, Dawa. She encourages him to pursue the expedition even though the climb takes him away from their family and could cost him his life. Tenzin Dalha plays a younger Tenzing, allowing the film to follow the dream before the famous ascent.
The family scenes stop the film from becoming only a survival adventure. The summit matters because of the life, faith and people Tenzing carries with him. The trailer makes that emotional side as important as the danger on the ice.
Jennifer Peedom directs the true-story drama
Jennifer Peedom directs Tenzing and shares story credit with screenwriter Luke Davies. Peedom, Davies, Desray Armstrong, Liz Watts, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman produced the film. Norbu Tenzing, Simon Gillis and David Michôd are executive producers.
The cast also includes Tenzin Dalha and other performers playing members of Tenzing’s family and the expedition. Apple lists the movie at two hours and five minutes, with a PG rating for thematic material, language, smoking and some peril.
Tenzing reaches select theaters October 9 and Apple TV on October 16.
