Tenzing is a 2026 biographical film directed by Jennifer Peedom and written by Luke Davies. An international co-production, the film stars Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing Norgay, Tom Hiddleston as Sir Edmund Hillary, and Willem Dafoe as John Hunt. It is based on Nepalese-Indian Sherpa Norgay's 1953 ascent of Mount Everest with New Zealand climber Hillary.
The film had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2026, followed by theatrical release in the United States and Australia on October 9, 2026, ahead of release on Apple TV worldwide on October 16. It has received positive reviews from critics. Tenzing won the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival overall audience award on October 12, 2026.
Contents
Cast
Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing Norgay
Tom Hiddleston as Sir Edmund Hillary
Willem Dafoe as John Hunt
Caitríona Balfe as Jill Henderson
Thinley Lhamo as Dawa
Tenzin Dalha as Tenzing (Younger)
Tenzin Jigmey as Pasang
Samdrup Dorje Lama as Tenzing (Boy)
Johnny Flynn as George Mallory
Production
The film was directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, who had directed the 2015 documentary film Sherpa, and was written by Australian writer Luke Davies. It was originally set up at Netflix and Higher Ground Productions in 2021. It was produced by Liz Watts of See-Saw Films, along with Desray Armstrong, Peedom and Davies, with Pravesh Sahni as co-producer. Rakesh Singh was line producer for Itop Film Productions. Tenzing Norgay's eldest son, Norbu Tenzing, was an executive producer, along with Simon Gillis and David Michôd.
Originally in production at Netflix and Higher Ground Productions, worldwide rights to the project were acquired by Apple TV+ in a competitive bidding war at the Marché du Film in May 2024.
In May 2024, Tom Hiddleston was cast as Edmund Hillary and Willem Dafoe as John Hunt, Baron Hunt, with Netflix and Higher Ground no longer attached. Caitríona Balfe joined the cast in May 2025. Thinley Lhamo had an undisclosed role in the film, while Genden Phuntsok joined the cast as Tenzing Norgay in June 2025. The film also includes a cameo appearance from Johnny Flynn as British mountaineer George Mallory.
Stefan Duscio was responsible for cinematography, Melinda Doring for production design, and Simon Njoo for editing the film. Principal photography commenced in Nepal in May 2025, with filming on location in Kathmandu and the Everest region. Filming wrapped on August 7, 2025 in New Zealand. Post-production was done by Spectrum Films in Australia.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2026. It also screened at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on September 15.
Tenzing was released in select theaters in the United States and Australia on October 9, 2026, before being released on Apple TV worldwide on October 16.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The critical consensus reads, "Immersive and tasteful, Tenzing is a rock-solid adventure that pays overdue tribute to a mountain-climbing pioneer who history unfairly overlooked." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
