Netflix Picks Up John David Washington, Zendaya Film “Malcolm & Marie’ For $30M

Deadline is reporting that Netflix is wrapping up a deal near $30 million for worldwide rights to Malcolm & Marie, a Sam Levinson-directed romantic drama that stars Zendaya and John David Washington.

Shot quietly during the production lockdown on 35mm in black and white with help from Fotokem, Malcolm & Marie was the first post-pandemic film to complete production.

Washington plays a filmmaker who returns home with his girlfriend (Zendaya) following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success. The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love.

Malcolm & Marie filmed June 17-July 2 at Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House, an environmentally conscious glass architectural marvel in Carmel, CA, in compliance with WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA, and extensive COVID-19 safety protocols.

The film came about after Levinson and Zendaya were told their series Euphoria had to shut down. The actress asked Levinson if he would write and direct a movie with her during quarantine. The concept came through quickly as did the script, and they focused on Washington, the fast rising star of BlackKklansman and Tenet.

The film was produced by Levinson, Kevin Turen and Ashley Levinson of Little Lamb Productions. The exec producers are Zendaya, John David Washington, Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Will Greenfield, Aaron L. Gilbert and Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi). The co-exec producers are  Harrison Kreiss, Katia Washington, Stuart Manashil and Kenneth Yu. The DP is Marcell Rév, Michael Grasley is the production designer, Julio C. Perez IV is the editor and Law Roach & Samantha McMillen are the costume designers.