Musician Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye will be making his debut as a lead actor in a currently untitled film directed by Trey Edward Shults (“Waves”). Tesfaye will be starring alongside Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) and Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).
While plot details are still under wraps, the film is currently in production. We know the script was co-written by Shult, Tesfaye, and his producing partner Reza Fahim. Tesfaye has been developing the idea for some time. He approached Shults a few months ago to direct and once he was on board they got to work on a script, which they ultimately got into the hands of Ortega and Keoghan. While both performers are seriously having a moment right now, they both decided this would be their next project among a slew of other offers.
This project will be Tesfaye’s feature acting debut since he did have a small cameo as himself in the 2019 Adam Sandler film “Uncut Gems.” Tesfaye and Fahim will also be producing along with Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss. Shultz and Ortega will be acting as executive producers.
Other members of the team include Chayse Irvin (“Blonde”) as director of photography. With composer/producer OPN, aka Daniel Lopatin (“Uncut Gems”) providing the score along with Tesfaye. At this point saying Tesfaye seems passionate about this new project feels like an understatement.
We will keep updated on details about this new project as they become available.
