Apple TV’s Tenzing arrives as part of an incredible slate of mountain movies this October, sandwiched between the streamer’s documentary The Last First: Winter K2 and Oscar-winning filmmaking duo Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s festival darling Everest: The Other Side.
Tenzing fictionalizes the biographical story of legendary Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay’s historic 1953 ascent of Mount Everest alongside New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary.
Directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, the mountain film crucially examines the historic feat through a different heroic lens: that of the Sherpas risking their lives on the mountain, with Tenzing firmly positioned as the protagonist of his own story.
It’s a subject Peedom is all too familiar with, having helmed several projects exploring the lives of the Sherpa community and the guides who lead climbers on Everest. Her previous credits include the 2003 SBS Dateline special Everest’s Sherpas: Forgotten Heroes of the Himalayas and the BAFTA-nominated documentary Sherpa.
As her first narrative feature, Apple TV’s Tenzing appears to be in fitting hands with Peedom – especially with Tenzing Norgay’s eldest son, Norbu Tenzing, serving as an executive producer alongside Simon Gillis and David Michôd.
What is the plot of Apple TV’s Tenzing?
Apple TV’s Tenzing follows Tenzing Norgay from his early life through his development into a gifted climber and his fight to be included in the British Everest expedition led by Colonel John Hunt.
He goes on to form a deep bond with Edmund Hillary amid their historic feat of conquering the world’s highest mountain, navigating Everest’s traditions, tensions and brutal weather conditions along the way.
Director Jennifer Peedom told Variety of centering the story on Tenzing:
“The ambition was to restore that subjectivity and allow him [Tenzing] to be the protagonist of his own life, not a supporting character in someone else’s heroic story. Importantly, this doesn’t require diminishing Hillary. I think their partnership becomes much more interesting when you understand the stature of both men and what each brought to that rope.”
Who stars in Apple TV’s Tenzing?
Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay, while Tom Hiddleston takes on the role of Sir Edmund Hillary.
Willem Dafoe plays expedition leader Colonel John Hunt, while Caitríona Balfe portrays expedition secretary Jill Henderson. Thinley Lhamo and Tenzin Dalha also star.
Is there a trailer for Apple TV’s Tenzing?
Yes! Check out the official trailer below.
Where was Apple TV’s Tenzing filmed?
Filming on Tenzing commenced in Nepal in May 2025, with cinematographer Stefan Duscio shooting on location in Kathmandu and the Everest region. Production later moved to New Zealand, where filming wrapped on August 7, 2025.
What has the cast and crew said about Tenzing?
Tom Hiddleston has spoken about bonding with the cast and crew during what he described as an “extraordinary international production.”
Speaking to Digital Spy, the actor revealed that he suggested the cast train together while on location, including going for runs through Kathmandu – despite the Nepalese capital being “full of life, people, traffic and sometimes animals.”
Hiddleston recalled:
“I asked the local people ‘what’s the best time to run in Kathmandu?’ It was May and they said that the sun comes up around 4.30am. If you’re on the street by 5am and you’re finished by 6am, you should be okay and you’ll share the streets with the dogs.”
Peedom, meanwhile, told Climbing that Tenzing continues the work she has been doing for years to highlight the contribution of the Sherpa community to Everest.
“So really, it is to honor the extraordinary contribution that the Sherpa people and community have made to this mountain and to the successes of so many people who’ve climbed Everest.”
Her relationship with high-altitude filmmaking runs particularly deep. Peedom also revealed that her work has taken her above 8,000 metres after she completed technical mountaineering courses in New Zealand because she didn’t want to be a liability while filming in the mountains.
When will Apple TV’s Tenzing be released?
Tenzing premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2026 before later screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Apple TV’s Tenzing will open in select theaters on October 9, 2026, before streaming globally on Apple TV on October 16, 2026.