Wednesday meets the Weeknd.
Photo: Andrew Cooper/Lionsgate
On Hurry Up, Tomorrow, his (allegedly) final album as the Weeknd, Abel Tesfaye is a singer haunted by death. And now, in the trailer for his new film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Tesfaye plays … well, a singer haunted by death. The trailer for the Trey Edward Shults–directed film is light on plot details but heavy on vibes, full of flashing lights and a bass-y Daniel Lopatin score. “Death is nothing at all,” a voice says at the beginning of the trailer. “It does not kill. Everything remains exactly how it was. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old, familiar name.” Okay, sure! Along with Tesfaye playing himself, it stars Jenna Ortega as his presumed girlfriend and Barry Keoghan as some mysterious interloper.
And no, this isn’t to be confused with Tesfaye’s other recent screen project about a pop star, the HBO series The Idol. Tesfaye announced The Idol in mid-2021, following the success of his album After Hours and single “Blinding Lights.” News of Hurry Up didn’t emerge until early 2023, by the time The Idol had already finished reshoots. And crucially, while Tesfaye collaborated on The Idol with Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson, Levinson reportedly has nothing to do with Hurry Up. In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the new film caused a rift between Levinson and his longtime collaborator Kevin Turen, because Turen is producing Hurry Up without Levinson. The outlet also reported last July that Hurry Up had been in postproduction for over a year with little interest from investors. Well, it’s finally on its way now, hitting theaters May 16.
