Tenzing Finally Tells Tenzing Norgay & Edmund Hillary’s Everest Story From A New Perspective

72 Years Later, Tom Hiddleston’s New Movie Finally Tells Everest’s Greatest Story From The Right Perspective

Published Oct 8, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering movies. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions and interviewing actors. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera

Although many eyes are currently on Tom Hiddleston because of his upcoming role as Loki in the MCU's next blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday (especially following his surprise appearance in Avengers: Endgame Encore), months before Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, Hiddleston has yet another major movie coming out. While it might not be getting quite as much widespread fanfare at present, Hiddleston's Apple TV movie Tenzing will be released on Apple TV on October 16, and it's one to watch for several key reasons, one of which involves righting a decades-long wrong.

Tenzing stars Hiddleston in the role of Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand mountaineer, and Genden Phuntsok in the titular role of Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali-Indian mountaineer—two real-life history makers who, together, became the first people confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Given that this is such a major event in world history, Tenzing is not the first movie to capture the duo's 1953 expedition up the mountain. In fact, in 2013, Beyond the Edge was likewise dedicated to bringing this journey to life on screen.

That doesn't mean that Tenzing isn't doing something innovative, however. On the contrary, Phuntsok and Hiddleston's take on this epic Mount Everest story is distinguishing itself not just from Beyond the Edge but also from myriad other retellings of this event that have come before in one clear way—and, importantly, it's in a way that is finally giving credit and focus where it has long been overdue, decades later.

Tom Hiddleston's Tenzing Explained

Credit: MovieStillsDB

As mentioned, Tenzing is focused on the true story of Norgay and Hillary's 1953 climb to the summit of Mount Everest, but the trailer for the movie (and reviews of the movie that have come out ahead of the film's release) suggest that this film adaptation of that story also pays special attention to the bond that grew between these two climbers, as well as the more emotional and spiritual aspects and implications of this journey. With that approach has also come a shift in how this story is being told, particularly in terms of who is being given the spotlight.

Namely, as the title of the film suggests, Tenzing is offering a specific emphasis on Tenzing Norgay's monumental contributions to this expedition—something that hasn't always been the case for other movies and projects centered on the event. In fact, the Tenzing trailer emphasizes that Norgay was a true expert when it came to Everest, and that connection to and understanding of the mountain became imperative for this mission. While this story has been told many times before, Tenzing is telling it in a new way, in that Norgay is finally getting the attention he deserves.

Why It's Important To Shift Focus From Edmund Hillary

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Both Hillary and Norgay, of course, deserve recognition for their incredible feat, but Tenzing's representation of this story goes beyond that. In addition to telling both men's stories and highlighting Norgay's role in particular, Tenzing works to capture the unique approach Norgay brought to that climb. Namely, Tenzing presents this journey to the summit of Mount Everest not as an act of conquest but rather as one of deep respect for the mountain itself—something that was true of the real life Norgay's perspective on the mountain and on the climb as well.

In that sense, Tenzing isn't just telling this story from a fresh perspective but is actually revisiting this incredible event with a particular interest in and focus on Norgay in order to capture, more authentically, what this journey really meant, in a way that has too often been overlooked in the more than 70 years since the actual climb took place.

Tenzing arrives on Apple TV on October 16.