In a world obsessed with the high-definition saturation of celebrity culture, Zendaya has decided to turn the lights down or rather, strip the color out entirely.
The new film project, Shape of Dreams, directed by the legendary Spike Jonze, is a surrealist dive into what happens when the most recognizable face on the planet retreats into the “Dream Lab.” Released in April 2026, the film serves as a cinematic anchor for Zendaya’s first co-created collection with the Swiss performance brand On. But don’t let the corporate ties fool you; this isn’t a 30-second spot for running shoes. It is a three-minute trip into a shifting, monochromatic subconscious.
The Square in the Circle
If the world is a stage, Jonze has decided to frame it in a way that feels “weirdly welcomed.” He has stripped away the distracting noise of the palette, leaving the viewer with a stark, black-and-white landscape.
You pretend to support from behind. But you’re always off on the side
The “square” in this dreamscape a literal and metaphorical anchor is the process itself. Jonze treats the act of creation like a physical entity. We see Zendaya and her longtime creative partner, Law Roach, navigating a space where:
- Silhouettes stretch and shrink like shadows on a wall.
- Materials shift from liquid to solid.
- Everything is not always as it seems.
It is a “square” approach to a fluid medium; a rigid, intentional focus on the how rather than just the what. By removing color, Jonze forces us to look at the lines, the texture, and the movement.
Dream On
The film operates on the logic of a lucid dream. Zendaya moves through the “Dream Lab” not as a manicured idol, but as a worker in the factory of her own imagination. The presence of Law Roach adds a grounding, almost domestic layer to the surrealism the two of them bickering and building in a void of grey and ivory.
“Working with Spike brought that vision to life in a really special way the world he created gave it a whole new dimension,” Zendaya remarked on the collaboration.
The project echoes her 2021 turn in Malcolm & Marie, yet it feels more evolved. It’s less about the dialogue and more about the geometry of style. By the time the film ends, the “dreams” have taken the shape of the collection the Cloudnova Moon sneakers and parachute pants but the lingering feeling is one of beautiful, intentional disorientation.
The Takeaway
In Shape of Dreams, Jonze and Zendaya remind us that the most vibrant ideas often start in the dark. It is a reminder to look past the surface, to find the “square” in the weirdness, and to keep dreaming even when the world is only shades of grey.
Everything is not always as it seems. Dream on.
