If you love messy relationship movies with morally questionable characters, The Drama is about to ruin your week (in a good way). To put it simply, the film is WILD. Like, jaw-literally-on-the-floor wild.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
From Dream Scenario director Kristoffer Borgli, the film follows a seemingly perfect couple whose wedding week spirals after one very cursed confession.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
And because I love digging into how movies like this actually get made, here are some behind-the-scenes facts that made the whole thing even more unhinged:
Note: There are no major spoilers ahead, but if you want to go into the film knowing absolutely nothing, just bookmark this for later!
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1. The movie basically started as a journal. Kristoffer Borgli didn’t actually set out to make a rom-com. He literally started by writing down thoughts about relationships and emotional chaos.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
2. And it wasn’t even supposed to be a wedding movie. The whole “wedding week from hell” angle came after he started exploring the core idea.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
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3. Believe it or not, Zendaya actually chased this role. She read the script, loved it, and went out of her way to be cast. In fact, she called it a “page-turner” that grabbed her right away.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
4. Meanwhile, Pattinson lowkey manifested his casting. He had already introduced himself to Borgli at the Dream Scenario premiere before getting the role.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
5. The director cast Alana Haim simply because they became friends. They just met in LA, vibed, and he was like, “You’re in the movie.”
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
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7. They rehearsed for TWO full weeks before filming, which is rare for a movie like this.
Jaclyn Martinez/© A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
8. And they basically rewrote the script during rehearsals, like, every day.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
9. Zendaya and Pattinson gave notes that made it into the final film. They would question character choices and dig into motivations, and Borgli would go back and rewrite scenes based on those discussions.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
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10. The actors and director had a group chat that was actually a part of the creative process. Script discussions would literally continue outside rehearsals in texts.
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11. The director made everyone watch chaotic relationship movies together, including the iconic 1969 film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which follows two married couples whose relationships get, well, complicated after one couple starts experimenting with radical honesty, openly discussing things like infidelity, therapy, and even the idea of sleeping with other people.
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12. Borgli also screened Melancholia as a wedding-movie reference. He described it as “a terrific wedding movie because it’s a ******-up wedding movie.”
©Magnolia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
13. Zendaya and Pattinson were assigned the Ingmar Bergman film The Passion of Anna to study. And Borgli specifically asked the actors to watch it on their own as prep, since it also centers on a relationship disrupted by a shocking personal revelation.
Courtesy Everett Collection
14. In fact, there’s a poster for The Passion of Anna hanging in Charlie’s apartment as a little Easter egg. It’s basically hiding the movie’s entire thesis in the background the whole time.
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15. The movie was shot in the Boston area for a very specific reason. According to Borgli, it feels more “European” and intimate than most American cities, which matched the vibe he wanted.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
16. Borgli actually wants people to argue about this movie. There’s no clear “right answer” to what the characters should do — it’s meant to spark debates about love, morality, and forgiveness.
A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection
17. And finally, The Drama marks the first highly anticipated film of 2026 starring BOTH Zendaya and Robert Pattinson! The other releases this year are The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three. So expect plenty more ~drama~ from these two later this year.
The Drama lands in theaters April 3, 2026. And if you need anymore convincing that this movie should be on your weekend to-do list, here’s the official trailer:
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All facts have been sourced from the film’s production notes unless otherwise noted!
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