Zendaya is heading back into science fiction. A24 announced on Thursday that she will lead a new, untitled film written and directed by Alex Garland, IndieWire reported, with Deadline and Variety also confirming the deal.
The studio is keeping the story secret. What is known is the schedule: cameras are expected to roll in 2027, according to A24.
A Familiar Studio for Both
The pairing keeps two of A24's most reliable relationships in the same room. Zendaya worked with the company on Euphoria, the HBO series that wrapped its three-season run earlier this year, and on The Drama, the dark comedy with Robert Pattinson that Variety says earned close to $135 million worldwide. Deadline also notes she was previously attached to play Ronnie Spector in Be My Baby, a Barry Jenkins project at A24.
Garland's ties to the studio run deeper still. A24 released his directing debut Ex Machina, then Men, Civil War and Warfare, making this his fifth collaboration with the company, IndieWire counts. He has also finished shooting Elden Ring, A24's adaptation of the hit video game, which IndieWire describes as the studio's most expensive in-house production so far. Deadline lists its release as March 3, 2028.
Zendaya's Big Year
The casting lands in the middle of a crowded stretch for the actor. This year she has appeared in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and returned as MJ in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, alongside The Drama. IndieWire puts the combined global gross of those three films near $4.5 billion. She also picked up an Emmy nomination for Euphoria.
Next on her calendar is Dune: Part Three, in which she returns as Chani. Deadline and IndieWire give its release as December 18, while Variety lists December 16.
Why It Matters
Garland has spent most of his career circling science fiction, from Ex Machina to Annihilation and the series Devs. Putting one of the most bankable stars of the year at the center of his next original idea gives that instinct a much bigger stage.
There is a trade-off. Variety points out that the new film could push back a third 28 Years Later, which Danny Boyle has said Garland already scripted but which is on hold while Garland works on Elden Ring.
For now, the next concrete dates belong to Dune: Part Three in December and the start of production on the Garland film in 2027.
Reporting sources: Deadline, “Zendaya Set For Alex Garland Sci-Fi Film At A24” · Variety, “Zendaya to Star in Alex Garland Sci-Fi Film at A24” · IndieWire, “Zendaya to Star in Alex Garland’s New Sci-Fi Movie at A24”.