Zendaya will star in a new Alex Garland sci-fi film for A24, returning to the genre after her trips to Arrakis in the Dune series. Garland will write and direct the still-untitled feature, which is scheduled to begin filming in 2027. Plot details remain secret, because apparently even a basic premise would be too generous at this stage.
What is known about the A24 project?
So far, the confirmed information is limited to its star, filmmaker, studio and production timetable. A24 has not announced additional cast members or revealed when the film might reach cinemas.
The project extends Zendaya’s relationship with the studio. She led the HBO series Euphoria, which concluded after three seasons earlier in 2026, and starred opposite Robert Pattinson in A24’s extremely dark comedy-drama The Drama. That film became a box-office success, earning nearly $135 million worldwide.
Garland also has a long history with A24. The company distributed his 2014 directorial debut, Ex Machina, in the United States and later worked with him on Men, Civil War and Warfare. His other science-fiction credits include the Netflix film Annihilation and the FX series Devs, so this is less a surprising change of direction than a return to familiar, usually unsettling territory.
What else are Zendaya and Alex Garland working on?
Zendaya has already appeared in two of 2026’s biggest films, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Both broke box-office records, continuing a run that has made her one of Hollywood’s most reliable major-franchise stars.
Her next large-scale release is Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, the director’s final planned visit to Arrakis, which is scheduled for December 16. Between that film and Garland’s new project, Zendaya’s science-fiction schedule remains comfortably crowded.
Garland, meanwhile, recently completed production on A24’s big-budget adaptation of the video game Elden Ring. The cast includes Kit Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Ben Whishaw, Nick Offerman and Tom Burke. Filming wrapped on July 30, and the movie is expected to arrive in March 2028.
That leaves Garland with another effects-heavy production waiting in 2027. Evidently, one enormous fantasy adaptation was not enough paperwork.
Could the film delay 28 Years Later 3?
The new assignment may complicate plans for a third 28 Years Later film. Garland wrote Danny Boyle’s 2002 horror film 28 Days Later before reuniting with the director for 28 Years Later and its rapid sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Speaking at the London Film Festival, Boyle said Garland had already written a “fantastic script” for a third instalment. He also warned that the writer-director’s commitments to Elden Ring had placed it on hold.
“So it’s on the back burner at the moment,” Boyle said.
With Garland now preparing another science-fiction feature for A24, that delay could become longer. No formal production schedule has been announced for the third film, and Garland’s calendar now stretches through at least 2027.
For fans of his science fiction, the A24 project is welcome news. For anyone waiting on the next chapter of 28 Years Later, it is another reminder that even fictional apocalypses must wait for studio scheduling.
