Image Source: Getty / Brendon Thorne and Getty / Emma McIntyre [1]
Talk about working under unique circumstances — Zendaya and John David Washington recently finished filming a secret movie titled Malcolm & Marie during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Deadline broke the news on Wednesday, July 8 [2], reporting that Zendaya reached out to Euphoria [3] creator Sam Levinson to write the project, after production on their HBO series was shut down [4] in March due to the pandemic. The 23-year-old actress asked if the director would be able to write and direct a film during quarantine and Levnison had the draft ready six days later.
After Levinson secured Tenet star Washington for the role of Malcolm, filming took place between June 17 to July 2 at the Caterpillar House, described as an "environmentally conscious glass architectural marvel." [5] The film's producers, which included Levinson's production partner and wife Ashley Levinson and Kevin Turin, worked closely with doctors, lawyers, WGA, DGA, and SAG to meet all the requirements necessary for the film to legally go into production. Numerous precautions were taken during production to ensure the health of the cast, crew, and various persons on set, including a two-week quarantine before filming began, cast and crew having their own separate dwellings with individual HVAC units, rehearsals in the parking lot, and temperature checks at the beginning and end of each day. Deadline has a complete rundown of all the safety measures taken and it's fair to say that production worked hard to ensure everyone's wellbeing.
An official synopsis of the film hasn't been released, but Deadline described the film as having "some echoes" of Netflix's Marriage Story [6], while incorporating social themes related to what the world is experiencing right now. Euphoria cinematographer Marcell Rév and production designer Michael Grasley were also involved in the project, so however the story plays out, it's sure to be gorgeous. And to add to that belief, Zendaya confirmed the project with a film still [7] on her Twitter account. The actress is seen leaning over Washington as he reclines against the side of what looks like a bed.
Malcolm & Marie pic.twitter.com/99RWzgLFbD [8] — Zendaya (@Zendaya) July 8, 2020 [9]
It looks particularly romantic, but if we recall, Marriage Story wasn't exactly a happy-go-lucky love story. For all we know, this scene could be a tense confrontation between lovers! It's all a mystery, but there's one thing we know for sure — we can't wait to see what it's about!