Is 'Marty Supreme' Based on a True Story? All About the Timothée Chalamet Film

If you are a fan of actor Timothée Chalamet, you are in for a treat this holiday season, because his new film Marty Supreme premieres on Christmas Day, 2025. And if you are a ping pong fan, you are also in for a treat because Timothée plays a ping pong player in the film.

According to Variety, Marty Supreme is about "A young man with a dream no one respects goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness," and fans are wondering if the film is based on a true story.

Yes, Marty Supreme is based on the real life of professional ping pong player, Marty Reisman. Variety reports that while the story is fictionalized for dramatic effect, the movie is based on the real-life Marty. The ping pong player became a star after beginning his career in New York City in the 1940s. Marty was a hustler who played for bets before becoming known as the "wizard of table tennis."

The real Marty won 22 titles in ping pong between the years of 1946 and 2002 — with the first being at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1948. The table tennis star was also funny, and he opened for the famous Harlem Globetrotters with his ping pong comedy routine. Marty also became the oldest ping pong player to win the United States National Hardbat Championship at the age of 67.

The movie is directed by Uncut Gems filmmaker Josh Safdie, and the trailer for Marty Supreme dropped on Aug. 13, 2025. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow as a love interest and Fran Drescher as Marty's mother.

Timothée reportedly underwent training to learn the sport of ping pong for the role. According to the movie's cinematographer, Darius Khondji, the Wonka actor was determined to look like a real professional in the film.

"He wanted to be like a real professional ping pong player when he started shooting,” he said. "Because you can do anything, any camera tricks you want, but you need to have a core."

Timothée earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination at the 67th Academy Awards for his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.

According to NBC New York, the real Marty also sometimes played ping pong with his doubles partner, Douglas Cartland. The duo opened for the Harlem Globetrotters with their comedy routine. Marty is also an author, having written his 1974 autobiography, "The Money Player, The Confessions of America's Greatest Table Tennis Player and Hustler."

Indie Wire reports that a documentary about Marty's life in ping pong, Fact or Fiction: The Life and Times of a Ping Pong Hustler, was made back in 2014, and it details Marty's life as a New York City hustler. So, those who can't wait for the movie to come out next Christmas can watch the documentary about his life.

Marty Supreme premieres on Dec. 25, 2025, in movie theaters.