Zendaya’s new film, The Drama, hasn’t even hit theaters yet, and it’s already mixed up in a ton of drama.
Last month, A24 released the trailer for its latest rule-breaking film, and from Zendaya’s Emma wielding a knife to Robert Pattinson’s Charlie donning a tux covered in blood, there’s a lot going on.
At one point in the official teaser, the couple are sharing with friends the worst thing they’ve ever done, and Emma’s deep dark secret confession is apparently the worst of the bunch and the crux of a plot twist that has early viewers, namely parents, slamming the film.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
We should first tell you, the film comes from the twisted mind of Kristoffer Borgli, the Norwegian film director and screenwriter who gave us the blackest of black comediesSick of Myself in 2022. He’s provocative to say the least. So, it’s no wonder his latest project is already drawing the ire of several early viewers.
Touted as a romantic comedy, albeit a dark one, The Drama uses the following synopsis: “A happily engaged couple get put to the test when an unexpected revelation sends their wedding week off the rails.” That “unexpected revelation” is the fact that Emma once planned a high school shooting but chickened out before going through with it.
Early Reactions to The Drama
According to World of Reel, the first reactions to the film are mixed, with some hailing the film as a triumph and others offering more muttered distaste.
TMZ, however, has spoken with one person in particular with whom the film’s big reveal is not sitting well at all.
Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel Mauser, was murdered in the 1999Columbine tragedy, told the outlet that he’s disgusted with the film and “floored” that a school shooting would be a suitable topic for a romantic comedy.
“Mauser feels the subject in a rom-com starring a beloved actress like Zendaya ‘humanizes’ shooters — and ‘normalizes’ the shootings,” TMZ reported. “To be clear … Mauser doesn’t think anyone who has ever considered violence, but not gone through with it, should be condemned — on the contrary, he’s encouraging anyone who has had these ideations to go talk it out with a therapist. However, Mauser doesn’t want it to be used for entertainment.”
The Drama hits theaters April 3.
Related: Amanda Bynes Shocks With Glam Comeback Look