Zendaya to Star in Alex Garland A24 Sci-Fi Film: Everything We Know in 2026
LOS ANGELES, United States
What Happened?
Zendaya is set to star in an untitled sci-fi film written and directed by Alex Garland, with A24 financing and distributing the project. The announcement was reported by Variety on October 15, 2026. Production is scheduled to begin in 2027, once Garland completes post-production on his Elden Ring adaptation. The project marks another reunion between Zendaya and A24, following her recent work on The Drama and the forthcoming Be My Baby biopic directed by Barry Jenkins. Here is everything Swagsy knows about the Zendaya Alex Garland A24 sci-fi film.
A24 and Alex Garland have made one of the most compelling creative partnerships in contemporary cinema. Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, Civil War — each film distinct, each operating at a level of intellectual ambition that most studios will not touch. Adding Zendaya to that equation is not a stunt. It is a calculated move that signals what kind of project this is going to be.
Zendaya’s trajectory since Euphoria has been defined by a preference for challenging material — Challengers, Dune, The Drama. She does not take work to stay visible. She takes work that pushes the craft in a specific direction. A Garland sci-fi fits that pattern precisely.
The Announcement: How the Zendaya and Alex Garland Project Was Revealed
On Wednesday, October 15, 2026, Variety broke the news that Zendaya is attached to star in an untitled original sci-fi film written and directed by Alex Garland, with A24 set to finance and distribute. The project is currently untitled and full plot details are being kept strictly under wraps, per sources close to the production.
When Does the Alex Garland A24 Sci-Fi Film Start Production?
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in 2027. The delay is directly tied to Garland’s current workload — he is in post-production on an Elden Ring video-game adaptation, which must be completed before the sci-fi project enters pre-production. No shoot location or supporting cast has been announced as of October 15, 2026.
What Do We Know About the Plot?
Per Variety and corroborating reports from The Wrap and The Playlist, the film will draw from Garland’s cerebral sci-fi roots — the style of filmmaking that defined Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018) — rather than the more action-grounded territory of Civil War (2024) or Warfare (2025). Beyond that, the premise and character details remain classified. Garland has written an original screenplay, meaning the project is not adapted from existing IP.
Is This Zendaya’s First Time Working with A24?
Zendaya has an established relationship with A24. She starred in Euphoria, the HBO series co-produced with A24 for which she won back-to-back Emmy Awards. In , she appeared in the studio’s sleeper hit The Drama. She is also attached to Be My Baby, the Ronnie Spector biopic directed by Barry Jenkins, which is currently in development at A24. The untitled Garland project adds a fourth significant collaboration with the studio to her active slate.
The Context: Why This Pairing Matters for Both Careers
To understand what a Garland-Zendaya collaboration actually means, you need to look at what both artists have built independently — and why their career trajectories make the pairing logical rather than surprising.
Alex Garland’s Body of Work at A24 and Beyond
Alex Garland directed his debut feature Ex Machina in 2014, a tightly constructed artificial intelligence thriller that won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He followed with Annihilation (2018), a Paramount/A24 co-production starring Natalie Portman. Both films operate in the same intellectual register: enclosed environments, unreliable reality, questions about consciousness and identity. Men (2022) and Civil War (2024) were both A24 releases. The Elden Ring adaptation is his first venture into video game IP. The untitled Zendaya project reportedly returns to the psychological, cerebral sci-fi mode that defined his early work.
Zendaya’s Film Career Trajectory Since Euphoria
Zendaya, born September 1, 1996, is years old and is currently one of the most commercially and critically recognised actresses working in Hollywood. She rose to global prominence as Rue Bennett in Euphoria, earned back-to-back Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2022 and 2024, and starred in the Dune franchise opposite Timothée Chalamet. Her 2024 role in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers drew widespread critical praise, establishing her as a performer capable of anchoring prestige drama without franchise support.
What Does a Garland Sci-Fi Mean for Zendaya’s Awards Trajectory?
Garland’s films tend to generate strong awards consideration during nomination season. Ex Machina won an Oscar. Civil War was a critical and commercial success. A cerebral A24 sci-fi anchored by Zendaya — produced after two consecutive Emmy wins and the critical momentum of Challengers — is the kind of project awards prognosticators begin tracking from the moment it is announced. The 2028 awards cycle is already circling this film.
The Swagsy Take
What This Really Means
The most underreported dimension of this announcement is what it signals about how A24 is positioning itself. Garland's cerebral sci-fi output is not mainstream commercial cinema. Annihilation was famously pulled from a wide theatrical release in international markets by Paramount because they did not trust audiences to engage with its ambiguity. A24 bought those international rights and released it anyway. The fact that A24 is now fully funding a new Garland sci-fi — and pairing it with Zendaya, whose commercial profile is now undeniable — suggests the studio believes it can thread the needle between prestige arthouse and crossover commercial release in a way that Annihilation never quite achieved.
The choice of Zendaya is the tell. Garland’s previous leads — Alicia Vikander, Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jessie Buckley — are not box office draws in the conventional sense. They are actors who make critics pay attention. Zendaya does that too, but she also brings a global audience with her. Approximately 180 million Instagram followers. A Gen Z fanbase that showed up in force for Dune: Part Two. That combination of critical credibility and commercial draw is exactly what A24 needs if it wants a Garland film to land in wide release without studio interference.
The Swagsy read: this is A24 making its biggest artistic bet in several years. If the film delivers at Garland’s best level, it is a serious awards contender and a mainstream cultural moment simultaneously. The downside risk is a niche critical hit that underperforms at the box office. The upside is the kind of film that defines a career era for both director and lead. Zendaya’s instinct for picking material continues to be one of the sharpest in the industry.
Quick Facts About Zendaya
Full Name: Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman
Born: September 1, 1996 | Age: | Oakland, California, United States
Nationality: American
Claim to Fame: Rue Bennett in Euphoria (HBO/A24) — two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Major Films: Dune (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024), Challengers (2024, Luca Guadagnino), The Drama (2026, A24)
Upcoming Projects: Be My Baby (Barry Jenkins, A24) | Untitled Alex Garland sci-fi (A24, production 2027)
Net Worth (est.): $50M–$100M (est., per industry benchmarks)
Instagram: @zendaya — approximately 180M followers
Partner: Tom Holland (confirmed relationship, 2021–present)
Surprising Fact: Zendaya is the youngest person ever to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, a record she set in 2020 at age 24 and extended when she won again in 2022. She now adds one of cinema’s most cerebral sci-fi directors to an already elite film slate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Zendaya and Alex Garland A24 sci-fi film?
Zendaya is set to star in an untitled original sci-fi film written and directed by Alex Garland, with A24 financing and distributing the project. The announcement was reported by Variety on October 15, 2026. The film will draw from Garland's cerebral sci-fi roots, similar in tone and ambition to Ex Machina and Annihilation. Full plot and character details are being kept under wraps.
When does the Alex Garland and Zendaya sci-fi film start production?
Principal photography on the untitled Alex Garland sci-fi film is scheduled to begin in 2027. The production timeline is tied to Garland's current post-production commitments on his Elden Ring video game adaptation, which must be completed before the new sci-fi project can enter pre-production. No shoot location has been confirmed as of October 2026.
Who is directing the Zendaya A24 sci-fi film?
Alex Garland is set to write and direct the untitled sci-fi film starring Zendaya. Garland is the British filmmaker known for Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation (2018), Men (2022), and Civil War (2024). He wrote an original screenplay for the project, meaning it is not an adaptation of any existing novel or IP. A24 is financing and distributing the film.
What has Zendaya previously done with A24?
Zendaya has an established relationship with A24 across multiple projects. She starred in Euphoria, the HBO drama series co-produced with A24 that earned her back-to-back Primetime Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the 2026 A24 sleeper hit The Drama. She is additionally attached to Be My Baby, the Ronnie Spector biopic directed by Barry Jenkins for A24, which is currently in development.
Is the Alex Garland A24 sci-fi film related to Annihilation or Ex Machina?
The untitled Zendaya sci-fi film is not a sequel or continuation of any of Alex Garland's previous works. It is an entirely original screenplay. However, per reports from Variety, The Wrap, and The Playlist, the project is intended to return Garland to the cerebral, psychological sci-fi register of Ex Machina and Annihilation, rather than the action-oriented territory of Civil War and Warfare.
How old is Zendaya and what is her net worth?
Zendaya was born on September 1, 1996, making her 29 years old as of late 2026. Her net worth is estimated between $50 million and $100 million, built through her acting work across Euphoria, the Dune franchise, Challengers, and The Drama, as well as endorsement deals with brands including Valentino and Lancôme. She is represented by talent agency WME.
What other films does Zendaya have coming out?
Zendaya has two other confirmed A24 projects in her pipeline beyond the untitled Alex Garland sci-fi film. The first is Be My Baby, a Ronnie Spector biopic directed by Barry Jenkins that is currently in development. The second is the continuation of her work on the A24 slate following The Drama in 2026. Outside A24, she also remains attached to the Dune franchise universe as Chani.