Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye will make his feature acting debut in an untitled film alongside Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin), according to Deadline.
The Weeknd and his producing partner Reza Fahim co-wrote the script, and Trey Edward Shults (Waves, It Comes At Night) will direct. The plot is being kept under wraps, but the film is currently in production.
EXCLUSIVE: Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is teaming with 'Waves' helmer Trey Edward Shults on an untitled film that also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan https://t.co/c9v30ra6mg
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 28, 2023
According to the report, The Weeknd has been working on the project in secret for months, and Ortega and Keoghan agreed to participate after being “blown away by the script.” Along with The Weeknd, composer, and producer Oneohtrix Point, Never will oversee the score. OPN previously scored Uncut Gems, which featured a cameo appearance by The Weeknd.
While this will be The Weeknd’s feature film debut, he can also be seen in “The Idol,” the HBO series he co-created with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson.
Meanwhile, his music career is thriving. On Monday, he became the first artist on Spotify to reach 100 million monthly listeners. Last week, he released a remix with Ariana Grande to his Dawn FM hit “Die for You,” which received 23.2 million Spotify streams in less than a week.
It’s official: On February 27, The Weeknd became the first artist in Spotify History to reach 100 Million monthly listeners 🏆 pic.twitter.com/YwslzheIDN
— Spotify (@Spotify) February 27, 2023
