Fans stunned as The Weeknd reveals Hurry Up Tomorrow was a film before it became an album: “The film came first”

The Weeknd shocks fans with the news Hurry Up Tomorrow.

The renowned singer's film debut as a lead actor is forthcoming, with a release date slated for May 16. The star is currently doing press for and promoting his film alongside director Trey Edward Shults and co-star Jenna Ortega. This Thursday, April 24, he sat down for an interview with Fandango, where he reflected on the inception of his film that eventually paved the way for his LP:

“The film came first. The album didn’t exist. We were scoring and writing music to picture,” he said. “The idea came from a real-life incident that had happened and I always saw it as a film. The film came first, then the music.”

Everything we know about The Weeknd's film debut as a lead actor as his director sings his praises: Read more

During the interview, Shults shared that The Weeknd approached him with an idea for the film, allowing them to bond and "swap traumas." They eventually laid the framework for the universe for a potential movie.

“We’re both cinephiles that have this like-minded taste,” Shults said. “First, it started just, like, Abel had this idea, and we were both connecting over that. And then [we] got creative juju and super inspired and excited and bouncing back and forth."

He added: “And then, naturally, influences started filtering in. You know, it ranged from Persona to Raging Bull to Purple Rain to Audition and you name it.”

The film stars The Weeknd as himself, while Jenna Ortega embodies his love interest named Annie. Barry Keoghan also stars in the film, which was directed, co-written, and edited by Trey Edward Shults.

Fans have already been offered glimpses into the project with the music video for Drive, directed by Shults and featuring Ortega. Furthermore, the singer dropped another visual from Hurry Up Tomorrow for I Can’t Wait to Get There, which similarly draws from the movie.

“And they try to f*ckin’ kill me, spreadin’ misinformation / Tryna paint me a villain / Guess I did it to myself, man, this business life pimping / Who can tell me the difference?” he sings in I Can’t Wait to Get There.

Watch the clip below:

Ahead of his film's release, the artist will embark on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour on May 9 in Phoenix, which will see him traverse across North America this summer. He will also bring in Playboi Carti and Mike Dean as special guests.

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While The Weeknd's movie's release is less than a month away, fans in a few cities will get to watch the film two days earlier, on May 14.

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