Zendaya and John David Washington’s ‘Malcom & Marie’ Sets February Netflix Premiere

Looks like Netflix is hoping to have an Oscar winner on their hands with Malcom & Marie, their Zendaya and John David Washington drama from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will now premiere on Netflix Feb. 5, fitting it right in the current awards season.

Malcom & Marie, which Levinson wrote and directed, focuses on the relationship between a director (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya). The film has been compared to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. “A filmmaker (Washington) returns home with his girlfriend (Zendaya) following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success,” the film’s official description reads. “The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love.”

Levinson filmed the movie in 35 mm this summer at Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House in Carmel, California with a reduced crew due to the coronavirus pandemic. Washington and Zendaya are both executive producers on Malcom & Marie, along with Kid Cudi and Yariv Milchan.

In September, Netflix secured the rights to the film after paying $30 million in a bidding war with multiple other distributors. THR reports that the streaming platform “plans to wage a full-fledged Oscar campaign on its behalf.”

“I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my Euphoria family, for coming together during such uncertain times,” Levinson said at the time of the sale, per Variety. “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.”