The film “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the new Odyssey of The Weeknd

Not a visual album on Beyonon’s “Lemonade” lines or “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monáe. But a real film. Specifically, a psychological thriller with a decidedly dark colors, directed by Trey Edward Shults – American director known to most for directing the 2017 horror “” It Comes At Night “with Joel Edgerton – and two very popular actors alongside The Weeknd, Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, or the Wednesday of the Tim Burton series inspired by the family inspired by the family. The Oliver Quick of “Saltburn”. On paper, “Hurry Up Tomorrw”, the film that The Weeknd has decided to make, linked to the colossal album released at the beginning of the year, seems an interesting project. We will see if it will also be in facts or if instead the Karma of Abel Tesfaye is to give up all centers and to focus only on music, after the “The Idol” flop, the series he designed for HBO and closed after only one season because of the disastrous results despite investments of 75 million dollars.

“A meeting between” Toro unleashed “and” Purple Rain “”

The film will be released in American theaters on May 16, about four months after the release of the disc that marked the return of the Canadian star of the records on the record scenes. The director, who also co-founded the screenplay together with The Weeknd himself and Reza Fahim, in an interview granted to the periodical on the world of cinema Empire has anticipated that the concept will be a (unlikely) mash up between a classic of Martin Scorsese, a masterpiece of Ingmar Bergman and “Purple Rain” by Albert Magnoli with Prince: “It is a bit” unleashed “and” person “they met” Purple Rain “”. “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, containing even twenty -two pieces, is a disc against the dark side of fame. The Weeknd imagined it as a reaction to the mental collapse that he had in the months following the release of “Dawn FM”, after years lived perpetually on the crest of the wave, in the name of that hyper -production that has allowed him to become a record artist on the platforms (and to build with the over 150 million copies sold worldwide a 300 million dollar empire). The film was inspired in part by an accident that Tesfaye lived on the stage of the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles at the end of his 2022 tour, when he completely lost his voice. Panic. Subsequently, the artist discovered that there was nothing physically wrong in his vocal strings and that the causes of that accident were psychological: “I think it was a test: what happens if something you rely on is taken away to you?”. In the film The Weeknd will stage his experience with fame and celebrity.

The plot

The plot seems captivating: Abel Tesfaye interprets a fictional version of himself, a sleepless musician on the verge of a mental collapse that is dragged “in an existential odyssey” by a stranger, or Barry Keoghan. «The main character is called Abel. It is implicit that it is The Weeknd. But the Abel you see in the film is not the Abel I know personally. It is based on personal appearance with which he fought throughout his life, imagining that he had surrounded himself of the wrong people and that he had made wrong choices », anticipates the director. Ani, played by Jenna Ortega, then enters the scene, who questioned all the beliefs and certainties of the protagonist: «She is the female side of Abel, the sweet side. He neglected his soul and does not understand what he represents in his life because since he started living as a musician, he felt pushed to be something else “, explains the actress.

The project remained in the drawer for a long time: nobody believed it

Jenna Ortega also appears among the executive manufacturers of the project. The voice of “Blinding Lights” said that the film was conceived and developed even before the album. Among the lenders there is also the chief of Live Nation, the company that takes care of the live interests of The Weeknd, Michael Rapino. According to reports from Hollywood Reporter, the “Bible” of the American showbiz, the live entertainment giant would have put 20 million dollars on the table. Also according to reports from the portal, the film remained in the post-production phase for a year, failing to attract potential investors. Then in November 2024 Lionsgate announced the acquittal of the world distribution rights of “Hurry Up Tomorrow”. Who now finally prepares to see the light. We hope it is not a blunder.