Zendaya Was Originally Cast for Ayo Edebiri’s Role in “After the Hunt”
Malik Hassan Sayeed, cinematographer of After the Hunt, revealed in a Deadline interview that Zendaya was initially slated to play the role later filled by Ayo Edebiri. However, Zendaya dropped out before production began.
Production Timeline and Zendaya’s Schedule
Production of After the Hunt started in July 2024. During that time, Zendaya had a relatively light workload, filming only one movie, The Drama, in October. This suggests she may have chosen not to participate despite availability.
Collaboration with Director Luca Guadagnino
The film reunited Zendaya with director Luca Guadagnino, her collaborator from Challengers. Her decision to leave the project appears to have been wise, considering the film’s poor reception.
Critical and Commercial Reception
- Reviews: The film was widely criticized for reactionary politics.
- Box Office: After the Hunt bombed financially.
- Production Costs: The $80 million budget was puzzling given that most scenes are set indoors.
“Seems like a wise decision on her part to drop out of the film, which was universally panned by critics, called out for its reactionary politics, and bombed at the box office. I’m still not entirely sure how the film cost $80M to produce — it still boggles my mind, since most of it takes place in rooms and offices.”
Zendaya’s choice to step away from After the Hunt likely averted association with its critical and commercial failure.
Author’s summary: Zendaya was originally cast for After the Hunt but wisely dropped out, avoiding a poorly reviewed, costly film that ultimately failed at the box office.