Netflix Shells Out $30 Million For 'Malcolm & Marie' Starring Zendaya, John David Washington

A couple of days after shelling out $20 million for Halle Berry’s directorial debut movie “Bruised,” streaming giant Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to Zendaya and John David Washington’s upcoming movie “Malcolm & Marie” for a whopping $30 million.

The pandemic-era movie is being helmed by Sam Levinson, who created the series “Euphoria,” and the whole film was shot during the ongoing pandemic, The Hollywood Reporter first reported. This would be the second time Levinson is working with Zendaya as the actress plays the lead role in the aforementioned series.

Levinson shared his excitement for the movie as soon as the news surfaced online and thanked his team for putting up such an amazing movie during the global health crisis. The producer also noted that he is thrilled to know that Netflix has nabbed the rights for “Malcolm & Marie.”

“I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my 'Euphoria' family, for coming together during such uncertain times. We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love. We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world,” THR quoted Levinson, as saying.

The movie tells the story of a filmmaker (portrayed by Washington) and his girlfriend (played by Zendaya) returning home after a movie premiere. However, things take a u-turn when their celebrations are halted by several revelations about their relationship, which tests the strength of their love.

The media outlet also reported that the cast and crew will donate a certain amount of proceedings from the film to Feeding America.

Washington is currently enjoying the success of his latest movie “Tenet.” The film has already earned more than $200 million in international markets while it is slowly picking up the pace in the U.S. Meanwhile, Zendaya enthralled the audiences with her impeccable acting skills in the first season of “Euphoria” and will be next seen in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.”

The “Spiderman: Far From Home” star is also nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category and will be up against the likes of Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”), Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”), Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”), and Olivia Colman (“The Crown”).