Zendaya to Star in Alex Garland Sci-Fi Film for A24
Zendaya will lead an untitled science-fiction film written and directed by Alex Garland for A24, Deadline reported on 15 October 2026.
Cameras are scheduled to start rolling in 2027. Plot details are being kept under wraps.
It extends a long run between Garland and the independent studio turned distributor. A24 previously backed his Ex Machina, Men, Civil War, Warfare and Elden Ring, according to the same report.
Elden Ring is Garland's live-action take on the video game. It stars Kit Connor, Cailee Spaeny and Ben Whishaw, with Nick Offerman and Tom Burke also in the cast, and is dated for 3 March 2028, Deadline reported. Shooting wrapped on 30 July, according to Variety.
Garland arrived in science fiction as a writer before he directed. His earlier credits include the Netflix feature Annihilation and the FX series Devs, Variety reported. He wrote 28 Days Later and reunited with director Danny Boyle for 28 Years Later and its sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Boyle told the London Film Festival that Garland had written a third script in that series, but it is on the back burner while Garland finishes Elden Ring.
Zendaya arrives with a crowded 2026 behind her. She appeared in The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, which became Universal's highest-grossing release ever, and in Spider-Man: Brand New Day from Sony Pictures, described as the highest-grossing film in domestic box office history, domestic meaning the United States and Canada, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She also starred opposite Robert Pattinson in A24's The Drama, which earned almost $135 million worldwide, Variety reported.
Her television run has closed a chapter. Euphoria, in which she starred as Rue, concluded after three seasons. A24 was a producer on the HBO show, and Zendaya earned an Emmy Award nomination this year for the role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
More is already on the calendar. She will reprise her role as Chani in Dune: Part Three, directed by Denis Villeneuve and set for release on 18 December from Warner Bros. in theatres. She is attached to play Ronnie Spector in Barry Jenkins' biopic Be My Baby for A24, and she will voice the daughter of Shrek and Princess Fiona in DreamWorks Animation's Shrek 5, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She and Tom Holland have confirmed they secretly married.
For fans, this means a new pairing to watch. Garland brings a steady output of original science fiction. Zendaya brings recent box office weight and a long link with A24.
