Zendaya’s Next Chapter: Alex Garland Sci-Fi Joins a Stacked Slate With ‘Dune’, ‘Shrek’ and ‘Be My Baby’
Zendaya’s year has been the kind that studios dream about. She led A24’s sleeper hit ‘The Drama’, appeared in ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, and wrapped HBO’s ‘Euphoria’. By the end of the year, she’ll have added one more big release to the pile.
Those 3 films alone grossed nearly $4.5 billion combined at the global box office. ‘The Drama’ brought in almost $135 million worldwide, and ‘Euphoria’ earned her an Emmy nomination this year for playing Rue in its third and final season. That makes this one of the most dominant runs any actor has had in recent memory.
Now her upcoming projects have grown again. Zendaya is set to star in an untitled sci-fi movie that Alex Garland will write and direct for A24. Plot details haven’t been disclosed, no co-stars have been named, and the film is expected to shoot in 2027.
The project continues a long relationship between Garland and A24, which includes ‘Ex Machina’, ‘Men’, ‘Civil War’ and ‘Warfare’. Garland recently wrapped A24’s adaptation of ‘Elden Ring’, which is set for release in March 2028, and he’ll reportedly work on both films concurrently. That timeline suggests the new sci-fi film is unlikely to debut until after ‘Elden Ring’.
It also deepens Zendaya’s ties to the studio. Her recent work with A24 includes ‘Euphoria’, which counted the company as a producer, and ‘The Drama’. One report notes she is attached to only 1 other film after ‘Shrek 5’, which is ‘Be My Baby’.
Before that, she returns as Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three’, which Warner Bros. releases in theaters on December 18. The film adapts Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah’, picking up 17 years later, with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul ruling as Emperor and married to Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan. Zendaya’s Chani remains at the heart of the story.
The cast also includes Robert Pattinson as Scytale, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia, Jason Momoa as a new version of Duncan Idaho, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem. Villeneuve says the film leans more into a thriller and features more action than the previous two. It was primarily shot on 65mm film, with some sequences in 15/70mm IMAX.
The box office stakes are enormous. One outlet notes that if it crosses $1 billion, Zendaya would become the first actor to star in 3 movies that reached that mark in a single year.
“Forgive me for all I’ve done.” Experience the epic conclusion. Dune: Part Three only in theaters and IMAX December 18. #DuneMovie #FilmedforIMAX https://t.co/x9Nftg9yXd
— DUNE (@dunemovie) July 8, 2026
Next summer brings a very different kind of role. Zendaya voices Felicia, the daughter of Shrek and Fiona, in DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Shrek 5′, which arrives in theaters on June 30, 2027. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are all returning as Shrek, Donkey and Fiona.
Skyler Gisondo and Marcello Hernández voice the couple’s sons, Farkle and Fergus. Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon are co-directing, and the film marks the franchise’s return after a 16-year hiatus. Zendaya’s casting was revealed in a teaser, and the fact that she once joked about watching ‘Shrek’ too often as an adult only adds to the charm.
Official trailer for ‘SHREK 5’ has been released. In theatres Summer 2027. https://t.co/lhnxSEJf6s
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 16, 2026
Perhaps the most personal item on her slate is ‘Be My Baby’, the Ronnie Spector biopic from Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins. Zendaya has been attached since 2020 and also co-produces. Spector, who died in 2022 at age 78, was an executive producer and hand-selected Zendaya to play her.
The film is based on Spector’s 1990 memoir, co-written with Vince Waldron. It focuses on her turbulent marriage to producer Phil Spector rather than covering her whole life, and Dave Kajganich is writing the original screenplay. Earlier reports suggested filming could begin this fall, though no official update has been shared.
Taken together, the 4 projects show remarkable range. She goes from a sci-fi epic to a family animation, then a music biopic and a mysterious Garland feature. Few stars are balancing blockbusters, indie prestige and voice work so confidently.
It also suggests she isn’t slowing down after a monster year. With a Garland film still shrouded in secrecy, every new detail is bound to attract attention.
Which upcoming Zendaya project are you MOST excited to see?
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