Following a limited theatrical release during the pandemic, one of the brightest gems in the A24 catalog is coming to a whole new audience on Netflix.
Zola, or @zola, is based on a Twitter thread by Detroit-based waitress A'Ziah "Zola" King. Written in October 2015, the story began with four images of King and an ex-friend, later identified as "Jessica". "Y’all wanna hear a story about why me and this b*tch fell out???????" the thread began, "It's kind of long but full of suspense," followed by crying emojis.
The thread, comprised of 148 tweets, quickly went viral across social media. While the series of posts has now been deleted, Rolling Stonepicked up the story for a piece, titled "The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted, in which "Tricks get turned, a hustler gets murdered, Jarrett [boyfriend of Jessica] leaps from a four-story window. It reads like Spring Breakers meets Pulp Fiction."
The publication also interviewed people featured in the story, which helped create the basis for Zola, directed by Janicza Bravo (Is God Is, The Bear) and co-written with Jeremy O. Harris (Slave Play, Euphoria).
The A24 adaptation stars Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, It: Welcome to Derry) as Zola, with Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road, American Honey) as Stefani, a fictionalized version of Jessica. Nicholas Braun (Succession, The Sheep Detectives), Colman Domingo (Euphoria, Michael), Ari'el Stachel (Don't Worry Darling, The Night Agent), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton, The Chi), Ts Madison (Bros, RuPaul's Drag Race) play supporting roles in the crime thriller comedy.
Zola premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, just weeks before mass theatrical closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The film was given a limited theatrical release in the U.S. the following summer. While the film grossed $5.2 million against a $5 million budget, Zola received an impressive 88% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and gained a cult following once it reached VOD (Video On Demand) platforms, which should only increase once it reaches the world's biggest streaming service.
Zola joins Netflix U.S. on July 10. Over territories may vary.
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