Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is set for his first starring role in a feature film. The currently untitled movie, which he co-wrote, also features breakout actors Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin).
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but we do know the project is being directed by Trey Edward Shults (Waves) off a script Shults co-wrote with The Weeknd and Reza Fahim, both of whom are also producing. Shultz and Ortega serve as executive producers.
According to Deadline, Shults and The Weeknd secretly collaborated on the project for months. Ortega and Keoghan joined the film after reading the script and being “blown away.”
Ahead of the film, The Weeknd will star in the HBO series The Idol, which he co-created with Euphoria mastermind Sam Levinson and Fahim. He made his acting debut in 2019’s Uncut Gems before co-writing and starring in an episode of American Dad! The singer also voiced three characters in the 200th episode of Robot Chicken.
On the music front, The Weeknd recently linked up with Ariana Grande for his “Die for You” remix and contributed a new song called “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” to the Avatar: The Way of Water soundtrack. In June, he will head out on the 2023 leg of his “After Hours Til Dawn Tour.” Grab your tickets now here.
Ortega, of course, recently broke out with her performance in Netflix’s Wednesday, which has been renewed for a second season. She’s also set to star in Scream 6, which hits theaters on March 10th.