In the official trailer for the suspense thriller "Hurry Up Tomorrow," The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, portrays a musician battling relentless insomnia and teetering on the edge of an emotional abyss. Scheduled for a cinematic release on May 16th, this marks the pop icon's debut feature film. Unveiled on Tuesday, the teaser introduces Abel Tesfaye, the fictional musician, as he embarks on an odyssey with a mysterious stranger who begins to peel back the layers of his very existence, according to the producers' synopsis.
The trailer fuels speculation that The Weeknd might yearn to shed his pop star persona in real life and revert to his given name. At one poignant moment, a voice in the teaser implores, "Call me by the familiar name," as "Abel!" echoes in the background.
Starring Jenna Ortega as Anima and Barry Keoghan as Lee, "Hurry Up Tomorrow" draws inspiration from The Weeknd's recently released homonymous album, which serves as the concluding chapter in his trilogy, following 2022's "Dawn FM" and 2020's "After Hours." Directed by Trey Edward Shults, renowned for his coming-of-age drama "Waves" and psychological horror film "It Comes At Night," both produced by A24, the film is a collaborative effort between The Weeknd and his indie production house, Manic Phase. Shults, Tesfaye, and his producing partner Reza Fahim have penned the screenplay.
The timing of "Hurry Up Tomorrow's" release, tied to The Weeknd's new album, offers insight into why Tesfaye made a surprise appearance and performed at the 2025 Grammys, despite announcing a boycott three years prior due to a 2021 snub. He enchanted the audience with tracks from the album, including "Cry For Me" and "Timeless."
This isn't Tesfaye's first foray into film. He previously starred opposite Lily Rose Depp in HBO's "The Idol," produced by "Euphoria's" Sam Levinson. Ironically, "Hurry Up Tomorrow," a long-planned project for Tesfaye and Jenna Ortega, reportedly caused a rift between the late "Euphoria" producer Kevin Turen and Levinson. Partially funded by Live Nation, the promoter of The Weeknd's upcoming tour, the album-inspired film was produced by Turen. In July 2024, THR reported that Levinson felt excluded from Turen's discussions about the "Hurry Up Tomorrow" movie project, which competed with "The Idol," another music-centric venture produced by Turen and starring Tesfaye. Sadly, a reconciliation between the two Hollywood producers never materialized before Turen's untimely death in November 2023 at the age of 44.
Beyond his musical endeavors, Tesfaye co-wrote and lent his voice to a 2020 episode of TBS's "American Dad" and appeared in "Uncut Gems." The production of "Hurry Up Tomorrow" also involves Fahim and Harrison Kreiss as producers, with Ortega, Shults, Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, and Harrison Huffman sharing executive producer credits.
