Zendaya Was Originally Cast for Ayo Edebiri's Role in "After the Hunt"
Malik Hassan Sayeed, cinematographer for After the Hunt, revealed in a Deadline interview that Zendaya was initially set to play the role eventually taken by Ayo Edebiri in Luca Guadagnino’s film. However, Zendaya dropped out before production began.
Production Timeline and Zendaya’s Schedule
The film started shooting in July 2024. During that year, Zendaya had a mostly free schedule, working only on the film The Drama in October. This suggests she likely chose not to participate, despite the chance to work again with Guadagnino, who directed her in Challengers.
Reception and Financial Outcome of the Film
After the Hunt faced harsh criticism for its reactionary political stance and was a commercial failure. It also raised questions due to its unusually high $80 million production budget, especially since much of the film is 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.”
Reflection
The mystery remains how the film's production costs reached $80 million despite its confined settings, making Zendaya’s decision to leave appear prudent.
Author’s summary: Zendaya was originally cast in After the Hunt but wisely dropped out, avoiding involvement in a critically and commercially unsuccessful film with an unusually high budget.