Eager fans of The Weeknd have something to look forward to, with Lionsgate officially setting a release date for his upcoming film Hurry up tomorrow.
Directed by Trey Edward Shults (Wavy, It comes at night), Hurry up tomorrow will mark The Weeknd's (aka Abel Tesfaye) feature debut and serve as an extension of his self-titled upcoming album. While the record is scheduled for release on January 24th, the film now has a May 16th release date.
“Abel is a visionary whose art cannot be contained by any medium,” Adam Fogelson, president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement about the company's acquisition of worldwide distribution rights. “With Hurry up tomorrowin collaboration with Trey, his musical universe expands to the big screen in a psychological thriller that will usher in a new cinematic experience for fans. We are excited to bring it to audiences around the world.”
THE Hurry up tomorrow The film is inspired by and features new music from The Weeknd, who scored the film with frequent collaborator Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never). The film also serves as the end of his artistic trilogy that began in the 2020s After Hours and continued with 2022 Dawn FM.
Alongside Tesfaye's starring role, Hurry up tomorrow features Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan in supporting roles, produced by Tesfaye's Manic Phase film and television production company and producing partner Reza Fahim, along with the late Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss.
Ortega, Shults, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, The Weeknd's manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby and Harrison Huffman are all listed as executive producers on the film. Chayse Irvin is the cinematographer, Elliott Hostetter is the production designer, and Erin Benach and Hannah Jacobs are the costume designers.
In May 2023, Tesfaye spoke to W Magazine to claim that his next studio album would be the last record released under the moniker The Weeknd. “I'm coming to a place and a time where I'm getting ready to close the Weeknd's chapter. I'll keep making music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still wanna kill The Weeknd. And I will. Finally. I'm definitely trying to shed this skin and be born again,” he had said at the time.
“The album I'm working on right now is probably my last gig as The Weeknd,” he added. “This is something I have to do. As The Weeknd, I've said everything I can say.”
