“The film came first, and then the music”: The Weeknd reveals ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ was originally made as a film before the album

The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow film will drop on May 16, 2025, and a press tour is underway. The multi-hyphenate entertainer, alongside Jenna Ortega and director Trey Shults, shared details about the production process of the movie in an April 24, 2025, interview with Fandango.

The Weeknd stated that the idea for the Hurry Up Tomorrow film was conceived before the album, even though the latter was released first. The interview went thus:

"Interviewer: This is obviously a companion piece to your album. Where did that idea come from? It needed a film to sort of complete your journey.

The Weeknd responded:

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

More details on The Hurry Up Tomorrow film as The Weeknd reveals the inspiration behind the movie

After The Weeknd shared that the Hurry Up Tomorrow film was born out of a real-life experience, Shults added that the former came to him with the idea of the film. The duo reportedly bonded as they shared their traumatic stories and ideas for the film.

"We’re both cinephiles that have this like-minded taste,” Shults added. “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 Hurry Up Tomorrow album was released as the Canadian singer’s sixth album on January 31, 2025. The project explored R&B, trap, and synth-pop genres of music with vocal contributions from industry heavyweights like Travis Scott, Lana Del Rey, Future, and Playboi Carti.

The album featured tracks like Timeless, São Paulo, and Cry For Me. It debuted at the peak position on the Billboard 200 chart, with over 490,000 units sold in the first week.

In the Hurry Up Tomorrow film, The Weeknd plays a pop star who is sleep-deprived and on the brink of a mental breakdown. He meets Annie, played by Jenna Ortega, who tries to help him battle his demons. Barry Keoghan, who stars as the singer’s friend in the movie, also advises him to be mindful of his health.

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Fans in select regions can screen the film early on May 14 before the theater release on May 16. The singer is also set to begin his After Hours Til Dawn Tour on May 9, 2025.

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