The first feature film from Abel Tesfaye — AKA The Weeknd — has secured distribution and unveiled its title.
The film from director and writer Trey Edward Shults (“Waves”) is called “Hurry Up Tomorrow” and will be released in theaters by Lionsgate. The studio announced on Monday that it secured worldwide theatrical distribution rights for the film, though no release date has been announced yet.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is described as a suspenseful, psychological thriller and a musical opus, designed as an extension of The Weeknd’s next album of the same name (that too is awaiting a formal release date). The album will be a companion piece to the film’s actual score, which was composed by Tesfaye and Daniel Lopatin.
The film stars Tesfaye alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan and melds genres alongside its soundscapes. No synopsis was released.
Shults wrote and directed the film and is also an executive producer on the project. Tesfaye’s Manic Phase and Reza Fahim produced along with the late Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss. It is executive produced by Ortega, Shults, Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, and Harrison Huffman.
The crafts team is rounded out by director of photography Chayse Irvin, ASC, CSC, production designer Elliott Hostetter, and costume designers Erin Benach and Hannah Jacobs.
“Abel is a visionary whose art cannot be confined by any single medium,” Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “With ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow,’ in partnership with Trey, his musical universe expands onto the big screen with a psychological thriller that will usher in a new cinematic experience for fans. We are thrilled to be bringing it to audiences worldwide.”
The “Hurry Up Tomorrow” album is the third in a trilogy of studio albums from The Weeknd, including “After Hours” (2020) and “Dawn FM” (2022). This album and film is the final chapter, “crafted with existential and self-referential themes and accompanied by visionary teasers,” according to the announcement.
The Weeknd has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and has seven #1 singles, including his biggest hit “Blinding Lights.” As an actor, he’s best known for his polarizing series “The Idol” made with “Euphoria’s” Sam Levinson, which aired on HBO last year. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is his production company Manic Phase’s first feature.
Shults is known for “Waves,” “It Comes At Night” and his directorial debut “Krisha,” all three of which hailed from A24, so the shift to Lionsgate is a departure.
Lionsgate could also use a box office win. The studio is on a losing streak that includes “Borderlands,” “White BIrd,” and “The Crow.” Next year though it has the “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina,” “Saw XI,” and the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” with a new “Hunger Games” movie already in the works for Thanksgiving 2026.
Deadline first reported the news of the acquisition.
