In July, actress Zendaya Coleman posted a black and white still, captioned “Malcolm & Marie,” of herself intimately poised atop “BlacKkKlansman” star John David Washington. After skyrocketing to virality, fans concluded that the caption was the titular namesake of the pair’s secret quarantine film that has been in the works since late spring.
According to Deadline, Coleman reached out to “Euphoria” showrunner Sam Levinson to request for his hand in writing and directing a film amid the global pandemic. Within six days, Levinson wrote “Malcolm & Marie” and casted the “BlacKkKlansman” Golden Globe nominee Washington as Coleman’s co-star.
With the cinema industry reeling from abrupt halt of sets across the globe, the movie is set as of late to premiere as the first feature film to complete production. Even as movie theatres are witnessing low capacity, fans on Twitter appeared thrilled over the steamy photo.
The plot of the movie has yet to be revealed but the through line is rumored to resemble the 2019 Golden Globe nominated Netflix film “Marriage Story.” Along with Levinson, the filmmaker’s wife and production partner Ashley Levinson, Kevin Turen, Washington and Zendaya have undertaken the production and bankrolled “Malcolm & Marie” themselves.
To follow the lofty guidelines that are required for production to be cleared, the film was shot in The Caterpillar House. The 33-acre property seamlessly blends sustainable elements, natural ventilation, and operable shading into an ideal set location. It is the first LEED Platinum Custom Home on California’s Central Coast.
Co-EP Katia Washington spearheaded all the health and safety protocols and created the guidelines that were presented to the production’s doctors, unions, crew, and cast. After consulting with the unions and with the oversight of their doctor, a plan was hammered out. The entire team would take multiple COVID tests and head up to Monterey for a two-week quarantine before filming began.
