Over the past several months, we’ve seen multiple reports about how Hollywood studios were anxiously trying to figure out how to shoot films and TV series under the new COVID-19 restrictions. Will there be crowded backgrounds in films with hundreds of extras? Are fight scenes and love scenes even feasible? And can you really social distance with a crew of more than 100 people on set? Well, not all those questions have answers yet, but that isn’t stopping filmmaking from happening. In fact, according to Deadline, writer-director Sam Levinson was able to write a script, cast a film featuring two massive stars, and shoot the entire feature, titled “Malcolm & Marie,” all during the lockdown.
The report claims that Levinson has already finished production on a new feature, “Malcolm & Marie,” which stars Zendaya and John David Washington, after the project was first pitched in March. The exact details of the plot are unknown, but “Malcolm & Marie” is said to be a fairly lean film in the same vein of “Marriage Story,” with Zendaya and Washington as the two leads.
But regardless of the plot, it’s the story of the film’s creation that is actually incredibly exciting and surprising. As mentioned, the genesis began after “Euphoria” Season 2 production was shut down due to the pandemic. Zendaya asked Levinson if he was able to film something during lockdown. Apparently, it took only six days for the filmmaker to craft the script. After which, John David Washington was cast to star opposite the actress and a lean crew of only a dozen people were brought to a remote house in California to begin production.
Because the house is situated on 33 acres with huge windows and open areas, the cast and crew were able to quarantine themselves, follow all CDC recommendations, and film from June 17 to July 2. And the report claims that Levinson, his producing partner/wife Ashley Levinson, producer Kevin Turen, Washington, and Zendaya all paid for the pre-production and production out of pocket.
Obviously, the film just finished production and there’s no studio attached. So, it’s unclear when/where fans will be able to see this feature. But with this cast and crew, combined with the insane story of the production, “Malcolm & Marie” sounds like a film that everyone will want to watch for themselves.