Netflix Acquires "Malcolm & Marie", a Film Shot During Quarantine
“malcolm & Marie”, zendaya and John david washington’s secret romantic drama, will premiere on netflix
By: Keaton Marcus
The movie that was shot during quarantine, Malcolm & Marie, just got some major news on the type of its release. It was announced that Netflix would acquire the romantic drama starring John David Washington and Zendaya. The two have worked together in the past in HBO’s Euphoria, which recently shut down production due to the pandemic. Guys, this streaming service is getting everything…At the movie theater’s expense.
The platform picked up the movie for a hefty 30 million dollars, according to The Wrap. The film was written by Sam Levinson, who also stands as director and producer. His credits include The Wizard of Lies and Assassination Nation most recently, both positively received films. Washington plays a filmmaker who’s headed home from a movie premiere with his girlfriend, portrayed by Zendaya. However, once they get home, the two begin to examine their relationship, and things go south from there.
Our two leads have quite the buzz lately. Washington (he’s Denzel’s son) rose to fame for his captivating performance in BlacKkKlansman as the Ron Stallworth, but arguably his most popular credit is currently Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, released in theaters a couple weeks ago. Both of his performances have been praised unequivocally, and he’s certainly a talented actor. Zendaya is another rising star with a truly stunning career. From her breakout role in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as MJ, musical The Greatest Showman, DreamWorks animated film Smallfoot, returning for Spider-Man: Far from Home, and in the future: Denis Villeneuve’s highly-anticipated sci-fi adaptation Dune.
Considering the cast, and decent talent in the director, this should be pretty great, especially since it’s already been compared to Marriage Story. That was Noah Baumbach’s Oscar-winning 2019 film, and arguably one of the best during the year, about a couple going through divorce, a complicated one. In fact, not only the two stars, but the actual filmmaker has worked with these two in Euphoria, he created the series. Since that was so well-received by critics, it’s only obvious to expect this one will be too.
It is a little disappointing that we won’t be seeing this one in theaters, but we got MS on Netflix as well, and that wasn’t too much of an issue. Overall, the film is definitely in my most-anticipated of the year list, and I will surely watch it no matter the reviews.
