First Trailer for Tom Hiddleston's TENZING Tells the Incredible True Story of the First Mount Everest Summit

Apple TV has released the first teaser for Tenzing, and this one looks like it could deliver in intense mountain movie.

The film revisits the historic first ascent of Mount Everest while putting Tenzing Norgay, the legendary Sherpa climber whose role in that achievement deserves the spotlight, at the center of the story.

On May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary became the first people confirmed to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain.

Their names became part of climbing history, but Tenzing approaches the achievement from Norgay's perspective and explores what the mountain meant to him beyond simply reaching its peak.

Genden Phuntsok stars as Tenzing Norgay, with Tom Hiddleston playing Sir Edmund Hillary. Willem Dafoe takes on the role of British expedition leader Colonel John Hunt, Caitríona Balfe plays expedition secretary Jill Henderson, and Thinley Lhamo plays Tenzing's first wife, Dawa Norgay.

The official synopsis reads: “Based on true events, Tenzing chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), a gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest.

“Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it.

“Where Western climbers see "Everest" as something to be conquered, Tenzing reveres "Chomolungma" as the sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent defined as much by tensions between backgrounds, classes and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself.

“But high above the world, empire, rank and aspiration fall away, leaving two outsiders bound by mutual respect and trust — and for Tenzing, the fulfillment of both a lifelong dream and a spiritual calling.”

The movie comes from Jennifer Peedom, and she's a particularly exciting filmmaker to tackle this story. Tenzing marks her first narrative feature after years of making documentaries that took her directly into some of the environments she's now dramatizing.

Her previous work includes Solo, Miracle on Everest, Sherpa, Mountain, River, and Deeper. Peedom has actually filmed in the mountains of Nepal, so she comes to this material with firsthand experience of the landscape, climbing culture, and people surrounding it. Luke Davies wrote the screenplay.

At its core, the film is about Norgay's greatness, the people who believed in him, and the trust that ultimately formed between two climbers attempting something no one had accomplished before.

I'm a huge fan of Peedom's work and am very familiar with the story of the first Mount Everest summit, so I’m very excited about seeing Tenzing.

Tenzing is premiering at the 2026 Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals before Apple TV releases the movie in select U.S. theaters on October 9, 2026. It will then begin streaming on Apple TV on October 16.