One of the most anticipated films of 2020 is definitely A24’s upcoming feature, “Zola.” Even before one frame of film (or megabyte of footage) was produced, “Zola” had everyone talking thanks to the production deal that was made off of a Twitter thread. And now, we have our first teaser for the film that gets us pretty hyped for the feature but also offers up a clue that the drama might not get a traditional release.
As seen in the quick teaser for “Zola,” the story of two women that become fast friends and finds themselves on a whirlwind trip to Florida alongside a violent pimp is based on a truly remarkable Twitter thread (containing nearly 150 separate tweets). And yes, that story alone would make for an intriguing film all on its own. However, with the actresses involved and the buzz coming out of Sundance, where the film premiered this year, “Zola” looks to be yet another indie hit for A24.
READ MORE: ‘Zola’ Is The Ultimate Internet-Age Tale Of Messy Bitches Being Extra [Sundance Review]
“Zola” stars Riley Keough and Taylour Paige as the two leads that embark on this insane trip. The film is directed by Janicza Bravo, who co-wrote the feature alongside Jeremy O. Harris.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the teaser is how A24 hints at the release of the film. Given the uncertainty of the film industry thanks to the pandemic, it’s clearly up in the air how “Zola” might premiere for audiences. Normally, we’d expect A24 to do a staggered rollout of the film later this year in select theaters, building buzz as a goes along. However, the teaser shows that maybe A24 is planning something different with “Zola” as the “coming this…” is replaced by “coming next” and finally replaced with “Coming Soon.” Will the film get a theatrical release that’s pushed back? Will it be sold off to Netflix or another streamer? Or is A24 doing something completely different? We just don’t know.
What we do know is the film is pretty good. In our review out of Sundance, we said, “Empowering, saddening, amusing and aggravating in roughly equal measure, with a very small side order of social critique, Bravo’s film marks a huge step up for her…”
Again, we’re not sure when “Zola” will debut, but this is definitely a film you’re not going to want to miss.