Whoops! “After the Hunt” cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed actually let it slip in a Deadline interview that Zendaya was actually supposed to play the Ayo Edebiri role in Luca Guadagnino’s film, but dropped out.
I did a little research, and “After the Hunt” started production in July 2024. That year, Zendaya had a relatively empty schedule, only shooting one film — “The Drama” — in October. Odds are she just didn’t want to make the film, which would have had her reteam with her “Challengers” director, Guadagnino.
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.