MALCOLM & MARIE (TOP TO BOTTOM): ZENDAYA as MARIE, JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON as MALCOLM. DOMINIC MILLER/NETFLIX © 2021
Movies

Netflix’s “Malcolm & Marie” Starring Zendaya & John David Washington Gets Oscars-Friendly Release Date

November 19, 2020
By The Credits

There’s a new Oscar-hopeful on the docket. Writer/director Sam Levinson’s Malcolm & Marie, starring two of the most sought-after stars working right now, Zendaya and John David Washington, will be released on Netflix on February 5, 2021. Levinson, Zendaya, Washington, and their crew teamed up to shoot Malcolm & Marie while in quarantine earlier this year. With this release date, the drama is now eligible for the upcoming Academy Awards. It now seems possible that Netflix has a bounty of potential Oscar-nominated films on their hands; David Fincher’s upcoming Mank, George C. Wolfe’s upcoming Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. 

The person to get Malcolm & Marie going in the first place was Zendaya. She prompted Levinson, creator of HBO’s Euphoria in which she starred, to write a film that could be made during the pandemic. The result, a black-and-white drama about a budding filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) on what should be a romantic, incredible night (things go south) was eventually sold to Netflix during an auction at the Toronto Film Festival Market for a whopping $30 million.

Now that Netflix has made the release date official, folks are enthused. Zendaya is one of them:

Here’s the synopsis from Netflix:

Sam Levinson teams up with Zendaya and John David Washington for an achingly romantic drama in which a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home 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. Working with cinematographer Marcell Rev, Levinson creates a film of rare originality; an ode to the great Hollywood romances as well as a heartfelt expression of faith in the medium’s future.

Zendaya is recently coming off becoming the youngest person ever to win an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama at the 2020 Emmys for her Euphoria season 1 performance. Washington recently lead Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and has a slew of upcoming projects, including David O. Russell’s new film. We can’t wait to see these two on screen together.

Featured image: MALCOLM & MARIE (TOP TO BOTTOM): ZENDAYA as MARIE, JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON as MALCOLM. DOMINIC MILLER/NETFLIX © 2021

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.