Zendaya Joins Alex Garland's New A24 Sci-Fi Film After $4.5 Billion 2026 Run

Q: What secret plot unites Zendaya and Alex Garland in their upcoming A24 sci-fi collaboration filming next year?

No one outside the project appears to know yet: A24 and the filmmakers have kept the plot of Zendaya and Alex Garland’s new sci-fi film completely under wraps. What is confirmed is that Zendaya will star in the untitled feature, which Garland wrote and will direct for A24. Production is expected to begin in 2027, making it Garland’s latest collaboration with the studio after Ex Machina, Men, Civil War, Warfare and the upcoming Elden Ring adaptation. The secrecy has fueled interest because both names carry strong sci-fi credentials. Garland is closely associated with cerebral, unsettling genre work such as Ex Machina, Annihilation and Devs, while Zendaya is coming off a run that includes Dune: Part Three and other major studio films, alongside her A24-linked work on Euphoria and The Drama. So the most accurate answer is that the “secret plot” has not been disclosed. At this stage, the only verified story is the pairing itself: Zendaya and Garland are teaming up on an untitled A24 science-fiction project set to shoot next year.

3 articles · Updated · IndieWire · Oct 15

A24 said Zendaya will star in a new science-fiction film written and directed by Alex Garland, with production set to begin in 2027.
Details remain under wraps, but the project extends Garland's long A24 run as his fifth collaboration with the studio after "Ex Machina," "Men," "Civil War" and "Warfare."
Garland recently wrapped A24's "Elden Ring" adaptation—its biggest in-house production yet—which is scheduled for release in March 2028.
Zendaya lands the role after a breakout 2026 in which her three films grossed nearly $4.5 billion worldwide; she also earned an Emmy nomination for "Euphoria" and next appears in "Dune: Part Three."