Zendaya and John David Washington might be the first to star in a post COVID-19 film. According to Deadline Hollywood, the pair worked with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson on Malcolm and Marie from June 17 to July 2.
It is reportedly being considered the first movie to complete production in the current global pandemic.
The film industry was effectively shut down by the onset of COVID-19 in March. Levinson and Zendaya, who stars as Rue on the fanciful teen drama, had been working on season 2 of Euphoria when HBO halted operations.
Reportedly that was when Zendaya asked if Levinson could write a movie script for her. He hastily finished the vehicle, turning it in six days later.
When he was considering leading men capable of anchoring Zendaya he kept returning to Golden Globe nominee John David Washington. He earned several nominations for BlacKkKlansman, after proving his acting chops on the HBO series Ballers.
Eager to ensure the project was produced responsibly Zendaya, Washington and Levinson each contributed to the financing.
Producer Kevin Turen and Ashley Levinson, Sam’s producing partner and wife, met with healthcare professionals and representatives for the writers, directors, and screen actors guilds to establish the requirements to go into production safely. To limit the potential exposure of the cast and crew, those working on the movie were asked to play a variety of roles so that no one would have to break quarantine.
Executives pitched in as stand-ins, craft services staff, and script supervisors so that the least amount of people possible had to be on set.
The location was chosen with safety in mind as well. Malcolm and Marie was filmed at Caterpillar House in Monterey County, California. The 33 acres of property and glass construction limited the need for A/C and allowed for flow freeing air.
The location also allowed for privacy preventing fans and paparazzi from appearing unannounced.
Zendaya posted a steamy picture from the shoot on her Instagram page where she’s straddling Washington, in the glass mansion.
We can’t wait to see what they accomplished.