Parent of Columbine victim condemns plot twist in new Robert Pattinson and Zendaya movie, ‘The Drama’
A parent of a child who was killed in the Columbine school shootings has criticised The Drama, starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya.
The new A24 movie, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, which sees the two A-listers star as a couple, is set for release in UK cinemas on April 3rd, 2026.
The plotline for the film has largely been kept under wraps, apart from the loose premise for The Drama that a dark secret is unveiled days before they are due to get married, which makes the other recontemplate everything about their relationship.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD
According to TMZ, the film features a dark twist during a parlour game when the romantic-comedy becomes something else entirely after Zendaya’s character, Emma Harwood, tells her friends and fiancé her deepest confession.
The report claims that Harwood reveals that she planned a school shooting when she was a teenage student, but ultimately, she got cold feet and didn’t go through with committing the atrocity.
After the plotline emerged, the film has now been condemned by Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel Mauser was among the 13 students murdered in 1999 during the Columbine High School massacre.
Speaking to TMZ, Mauser reportedly expressed his shock that this was even considered as a possible twist for a romantic comedy, which he deemed to be an “awful” decision.
He also criticised Zendaya’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the movie, during which she said of The Drama, “What’s difficult about even talking about the movie is there is so many different genres (in the film).”
She continued, “It is a romantic comedy in many ways but it’s also a drama. Everybody has their own kind of feelings leaving the theatre, especially with the big twist. There’s so many conversations that are had after you watch it.”
Due to Zendaya being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Mauser, an advocate for gun reform, also expressed his fear that her being placed in this role “humanises” school shooters and “normalises” the barbaric act.
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