The Drama is the Zendaya and Robert Pattinson collab we didn’t know we needed.
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli and released by A24, the film follows Emma, played by Zendaya, and Charlie, played by Pattinson, a happily engaged couple preparing for their walk down the aisle. While the first trailer for The Drama initially suggests a light-hearted romantic comedy, it soon shifts into darker territory after a seemingly harmless game among friends goes awry when Emma confesses to “the worst thing” she’s ever done.
What, exactly, did Emma do? And how drastically does the tone in The Drama shift? While Borgli won’t give away any details, he hopes audiences react to the film however they see fit.
“I just want to say that you should watch it and however you react is valid,” Borgli said during the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday. “It’s like what you want to react, how you feel, it’s all OK. You’re probably right. You decide what it is for you. You can laugh, you can cry. You can leave the theater if you want to.”
Borgli added: “It has truly been the most enjoyable experience I’ve had making a movie, and that can only happen when you have insanely talented people supporting you in every department.”
Here’s everything we know about the film ahead of its release.
When does The Drama come out?
The Drama will be released in theaters on April 3.
Who else is in it?
While Zendaya and Pattinson star as the unhinged engaged couple, the cast also includes Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, Hailey Gates, Zoë Winters and Anna Baryshnikov.
What has Zendaya said about The Drama?
Pattinson and Zendaya in “The Drama.”
(A24)
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Euphoria star spoke about the complexities around categorizing the film. Plus, she said there’s a surprise plot point that’s integral to the film.
“What’s difficult about even talking about the movie is that there is so many different genres. I think it is a romantic comedy in many ways, but it’s also a drama,” she said. “Everybody has their own feelings leaving the theater, especially with the big twist and there’s so many conversations that are had after you watch it. It’s just one of those things, like, I really hope that people don’t spoil it for each other. That they’re allowed to go into it just unknowing and really experience the drama.”
Borgli echoed Zendaya’s sentiments at the premiere. Describing The Drama as “a very chaotic love story,” he told the Hollywood Reporter that he hopes the big secret between the fictional couple doesn’t get spoiled for audiences who’ve yet to see the film.
Pattinson and Zendaya.
(A24)
“We want the audience to go through the same experience as the characters in the movie, where they get to be surprised by something. So we’re trying to hold that reveal sealed to protect the best experience watching the movie,” he said, adding, “Don’t read reviews, don’t go online, try to go in with nothing, that’s what I would say. I think that’s the best way to see the movie.”
Zendaya also dished on her burgeoning friendship with Pattinson — and the fact that she’d only watched the Twilight films recently.
“We never worked together before, and then we did The Drama and then Dune and The Odyssey, so it’s pretty cool,” Zendaya told Kimmel. “I actually haven’t told him this, but I watched Twilight for the first time before we shot our movie, because I felt like I needed to do a little research.”
What has Pattinson said about it?
Pattinson and Zendaya.
(A24)
On working with Zendaya on The Drama and two other highly anticipated films slated to be released this year, Pattinson told the Hollywood Reporter, “It was all kind of random. I think we got Odyssey during the shoot on this, and everything was so secret as well, so we were like, ‘Did you get a call about the thing the other day?’ And we’re like, ‘Maybe, did you get a call about the thing?’ It was so fun, I love working with her. I think she’s great and I’d do it again and again.”
How has The Drama been promoted?
A wedding chapel in Las Vegas was briefly renamed “The Drama Wedding Chapel” last Saturday. Engaged couples knew the chapel would be tied to the film in some way, but they had no idea Zendaya and Haim would be in attendance — or that the Challengers star would be their official witness!
“They did sign up to get married at ‘The Drama Wedding Chapel,’ which was a thing. It was for the film, so they did sign up to do this, which was really cool. But they did not know that I was gonna be there. So, I got to surprise them. Thankfully, they were happy about the surprise,” Zendaya said during her Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance.
The 29-year-old actress has also continued her tradition of method dressing to promote The Drama. She embraced the campy, sportiness of “tenniscore” for Challengers, drew on avant-garde, futuristic-looking designs for Dune: Part Two, and now, for The Drama, she’s putting her own spin on bridal dressing.
Pattinson and Zendaya attend the film’s Los Angeles premiere.
(Olivia Wong/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
Recently, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day actress took “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue,” quite literally, when she attended The Drama premiere on Tuesday in the same Vivienne Westwood gown she wore to the 2015 Academy Awards.
The couture garment was subtly dramatic, with its off-the-shoulder neckline, cinched corseted waist and column skirt. For accessories, Zendaya sported a gold wedding band on her ring finger — which many believe isn’t a prop.