Netflix has announced that it recently wrapped up a deal acquiring the worldwide rights to Sam Levinson’s Malcolm & Marie, a love story starring Zendaya Coleman and John David Washington for a whopping $30 million.
What We Know:
- This deal marks the largest amount of money paid for a film acquisition out of a film festival. Malcolm & Marie premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, which was largely virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film is a romantic drama directed by Levinson, the same director behind Zendaya’s HBO series Euphoria and was the first film shot after the initial coronavirus quarantine period ended. In a recent interview, Levinson boasted about Netflix and pulling off a movie production in strange times.
“I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my Euphoria family, for coming together during such uncertain times,” Levinson said. “We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love. We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world.”
- Malcolm & Marie, a black and white film, stars Washington as a filmmaker and Zendaya as his girlfriend. The film begins as the couple leave a big movie premier and start heading home. During their conversation on the ride home, a discussion about their past relationships takes an unexpected turn, becoming intense and testing the strength of their love.
- Producers Kevin Turen and Ashley Levinson of Little Lamb Productions shared that the production team went to great lengths to keep the set COVID-19 free, taking extreme precautions and having to earn the approval of major guilds such as the WGA, DGA, and SAG-AFTRA. The cast and crew had to quarantine for two weeks prior to shooting and once on location at the eco-friendly Caterpillar House in Carmel, California, they could not leave the premises. Additionally, there were daily temperature checks and social distancing was enforced as much as possible.
Specific details of the details are still unknown and it is unclear when the movie will be available for streaming on Netflix.
