On Wednesday, July 8, Zendaya gave fans a first look at her brand new movie, Malcolm & Marie, with a black and white snap posted to Instagram. But, get this — the entire thing was filmed secretly during the coronavirus quarantine!
Yep, according to Deadline, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson teamed up with the former Disney Channel star and actor John David Washington to shoot the feature film throughout the pandemic. The publication also reported that filming took place from June 17, 2020 until it wrapped on July 2, 2020 at Carmel, California’s Caterpillar House — an environmentally conscious home. As it turned out, once filming on the HBO show came to a halt, Zendaya actually came up with the idea to make a movie while stuck in quarantine.
“Zendaya phoned [Sam] and asked if he could write and direct a movie during quarantine. Within six days, Levinson had cracked Malcolm & Marie,” Deadline reported.
As of right now, the projected release date and most of the plot has been kept under wraps. But it was said that Malcolm & Marie slightly echoes the Oscar-nominated Marriage Story alongside some relevant social themes. Not only did the film’s announcement break down, in great detail, how the cast and crew stayed safe amid the coronavirus — by wearing masks, practicing social distancing and abiding by strict hygiene standards — but the stars also provided their own costumes.
The news of Zendaya’s brand new film came about a month after the Governor of Los Angeles, CA, — Gavin Newsom — announced that Hollywood was ready to reopen after months of being shut down.
“Music, TV and film production may resume in California, recommended no sooner than June 12, 2020, and subject to approval by county public health officers within the jurisdictions of operations following their review of local epidemiological data including cases per 100,000 population, rate of test positivity and local preparedness to support a health care surge, vulnerable populations, contact tracing and testing,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement via the Governor’s Office. “To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, productions, cast, crew and other industry workers should abide by safety protocols agreed by labor and management, which may be further enhanced by county public health officers. Back office staff and management should adhere to Office Workspace guidelines published by the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Industrial Relations, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.”
As fans know, the World Health Organization has reported that over 12,250,000 people have contracted virus so far, resulting in more than 553,000 deaths. Medical professionals called for “social distancing” to prevent further spreading of the illness, which is defined as “trying to keep yourself away from other people, especially large crowds.” Because of this many events, concerts and festivals were canceled, including all Broadway plays and sports games. People were asked to avoid public spaces, stay indoors and and quarantine themselves.
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