Director Jennifer Peedom says she wanted to emphasize that Tenzing Norgay’s relationship with the mountain was “deeply personal and spiritual.”

Tom Hiddleston and Genden Phuntsok recreate a daring journey to Mount Everest in Tenzing trailer (exclusive)

Director Jennifer Peedom says she wanted to emphasize that Tenzing Norgay’s relationship with the mountain was “deeply personal and spiritual.”

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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September 16, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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Genden Phuntsok in ‘Tenzing,’ premiering in theaters October 9, 2026 and on Apple TV Oct. 16, 2026. Credit:

Courtesy of Apple

- *Tenzing *director Jennifer Peedom emphasizes the “deeply personal and spiritual” side of Tenzing Norgay’s journey to summit Mount Everest.

- Genden Phuntsok shares why he wanted to take on the role of the legendary mountaineer.

- Tom Hiddleston details what he learned about the real-life figure he plays in the film, Sir Edmund Hillary.

For Tenzing Norgay, climbing Mount Everest was a spiritual journey.

Jennifer Peedom’s new adventure-drama *Tenzing* follows Norgay (Genden Phuntsok) and Sir Edmund HIllary (Tom Hiddleston) as they set out to become the first people ever to summit the tallest mountain on Earth, known as Chomolungma in Tibetan culture. The new trailer for the film, which ** can exclusively debut, emphasizes the spiritual side of Norgay’s expedition, as well as his status as an outsider on the British expedition led by John Hunt (Willem Dafoe).

Tenzin Jigmey, Willem Dafoe, Genden Phuntsok, Harry Greenwood, Tom Hiddleston and Pasang Arya Sherpa in ‘Tenzing,’ premiering in theaters October 9, 2026 and on Apple TV Oct. 16, 2026.

Courtesy of Apple

“When I was a boy, I used to tell people it was my mountain,” Norgay says in the trailer. “I never stopped thinking about it.”

“I know that people don’t always return, but I know she wanted this for you,” a young woman tells the protagonist.

Peedom previously focused on Nepalese people climbing Everest in her 2015 documentary *Sherpa*.

“My years in the Himalayas helped me understand more deeply that Everest cannot be separated from the culture, families and spiritual beliefs of the people who live beneath it,” the filmmaker tells EW. “That was essential to understanding Tenzing. Chomolungma was not simply an obstacle for him to overcome. She was the sacred Mother Goddess, and his relationship with her was deeply personal and spiritual.”

Peedom continues, “So we never wanted the film to be only a story about conquest or about reaching the highest point on Earth. Tenzing’s journey was also about belonging, faith and fulfilling something he had carried inside him since childhood. That perspective became central to how we made the film.”

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Phuntsok tells EW that he wanted to collaborate with Peedom after seeing her doc. “Before making this film about Tenzing, I watched Jen’s documentary *Sherpa*, and I really loved the story,” he says. “When the production company reached out to me, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to share Tenzing’s story with the world.”

The actor has only a handful of screen credits before *Tenzing*, and says he was struck by the production’s logistical scale. “I really appreciate the whole team and everyone working on set for this film,” he says. “I remember getting up at 6:00 a.m. and heading to the set — everything was already prepared for us. The helicopter was there, the cars were there, and the staff were waiting for me in the storm. Seeing the crew waiting out in that storm, I wondered if they’d had to get up at 3:00 a.m. to get everything ready.”

Tom Hiddleston, Genden Phuntsok and Willem Dafoe in ‘Tenzing,’ premiering in theaters Oct. 9, 2026 and on Apple TV October 16, 2026.

Courtesy of Apple

During preproduction, the two lead actors consulted with Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition depicted in the film. “He was generous in his account of many things about that time,” Hiddleston tells EW. “I asked him about Edmund Hillary. ‘He was always laughing,’ Kanchha Sherpa told us. ‘He was always relaxed and happy. He ate with us. No airs and graces. He laughed a lot.’”

Kanchha Sherpa died months later in October 2025. “We were very fortunate to have spent time in his company,” Hiddleston says.

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The *Night Manager* star was heartened by the positive reputation that Hillary still maintains in the region where the film takes place.

“I learned from my own time in the Khumbu Valley — and at first-hand from his grandson Alexander Hillary — the high esteem, respect and depth of affection in which Edmund Hillary is held there,” Hiddleston says. “He dedicated his life after the summit of Everest in 1953 to improving the lives and circumstances of the Sherpa people and the communities of the Khumbu region. He built a school in Khumjung and, along with Tenzing, helped build an airport in Lukla. I learned how much the experience of 1953 changed him — how open his heart and mind was. It changed his life forever.”

*Tenzing* will hit select theaters on Oct. 9 before hitting Apple TV on Oct. 16. Watch the full trailer above.

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