The trending movie directed by ‘Euphoria’ creator, Sam Levinson follows the story of filmmaker, Malcolm Elliot (John David Washington) and girlfriend Marie Jones (Zendaya) who return home from the celebratory premiere of Malcolm’s film. The evening erupts into a night of intense revelations for the couple.

If you have seen the movie or it is on your watchlist, here are five fun facts you need to know.

1. It is Hollywood’s first feature to be written, produced and financed during the Covid-19 pandemic

Production for ‘Malcolm & Marie’ began during the first wave of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Shot in two weeks, between June 17 to July 2, 2020, the cast and crew were compulsorily isolated for weeks before filming started and one week after it ended. In fact, the pandemic practically inspired the idea of the story with two cast.

2. The movie was made largely by crew members of ‘Euphoria’

According to reports, when production for HBO series ‘Euphoria’ paused due to the pandemic, show creator Sam Levinson and lead star Zendaya thought up the idea of making a feature film that they could be filmed in her home. The film was later shot in a private home in California.

3. Netflix acquired the movie for $30 million

Netflix outbid HBO, A24 for the Levinson directed film at the virtual Toronto International Film Festival in 2020. The US streamer acquired ‘Malcolm & Marie’ for $30 million.

4. Labrinth its original score

Following his Emmy award winning production of an original song for ‘Euphoria’, Levinson contacted British singer Labrinth to work on the original score of ‘Malcolm & Marie’.

5. The choice of a black and white movie was not purely aesthetics

The need to make a visually appealing and film was not the only reason director Levinson made a black and white film.

The filmmaker in an interview with The Roots, revealed that he sought to elegantly present the actors’ race. “So, I start thinking about the idea [that] I’m also making a movie about a young couple who works in Hollywood and they’re both Black. The idea was, what if we were to reclaim the beauty and elegance of black and white filmmaking but for these two characters, who I think represent the future of Hollywood or what we want to see.”

Another fun and worthy mention is Zendaya’s famous kimono! Interestingly, the piece of clothing was bought by the star actress a few months before she filmed ‘Malcolm & Marie’. Turns out it came in handy for the film.