The mockumentary centers on the longest match in tennis history — a fictional one, mind you. What starts out as a highly-anticipated match-up between Aaron Williams (Andy Samberg) and Charles Poole (Kit Harington) turns into agony for the players. Neither can finish the other off, and the match draws out into a seven-day battle. “It wasn’t even a match. It was — it was something else,” says Serena Williams, the newly re-anointed French Open champion, who has a cameo in the movie.
Tennis fans in particular will be amused by certain details (like the fact that they’re up to the 67th match point in the preview), but the movie’s stars add a more universal appeal. SNL vet Samberg will bring his well-known gift for comedy, while Game of Thrones‘ Karington will get to show us a lighter side. The humor won’t be limited to the action on the court, as the trailer gives us glimpses at subplots that have nothing to do with the sport.
The inspiration for 7 Days in Hell was likely the Isner-Mahut match, which took place in 2010 at Wimbledon and holds the actual record for history’s longest tennis match. Because the famed tournament requires that the fifth set by won by two games, the match dragged on in the same way that it does in 7 Days in Hell. Luckily for John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, they only ended up in a three-day marathon match instead of a seven-day one. Small favors, right?
Tune in on Saturday, July 11 at 10 p.m. to see what else 7 Days in Hell serves up.
