In a recent interview with Fandango, the Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, shared that the cinematic universe behind his new psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow actually came before the music.
“The film came first, the album didn’t exist,” said The Weeknd. “We were scoring and writing music to picture. The idea came from a real-life incident. I always saw it as a film.”
Directed, co-written, and edited by Trey Edward Schults (Waves, It Comes at Night), Hurry Up Tomorrow stars The Weeknd alongside Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega. The film is scheduled for theatrical release on May 16, 2025, and is already generating buzz for its moody, immersive aesthetic.
Schults echoed The Weeknd’s comments, adding, “It started with Abel’s idea, and we both just got creatively charged. The influences ranged from Persona to Purple Rain to Audition and more.”
Fans have already seen glimpses of the project’s cinematic flavor in the music video for “Drive,” directed by Schults and featuring Ortega. The video acts as a teaser for the film and showcases the crossover of visuals and sound central to the Hurry Up Tomorrow experience.
As anticipation builds for the movie’s release, many are calling this The Weeknd’s most ambitious artistic endeavor yet—potentially solidifying his place not just in music, but in film and pop culture history.