Credit: YouTube

The Weeknd to star in new Trey Edward Shults movie with Jenna Ortega

Tue 28 February 2023 20:55, UK

The singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, is set to make his first real acting debut in a forthcoming movie from the director of 2017’s It Comes at Night, Trey Edward Shults.

The yet-untitled movie is being kept secret from the public, with details on the production being limited to current cast members, including Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan alongside Tesfaye. Writing the script alongside Shultz, The Weeknd has been developing the project for quite some time, only recently approaching the Hollywood filmmaker to direct before reaching out to both Ortega and Keoghan, who quickly registered their commitment.

As well as taking a co-writing credit and starring role, Tesfaye will also work alongside the music producer Daniel Lopatin to score the movie. Lopatin worked alongside the Safdie brothers for 2017s Good Time and 2019s Uncut Gems, with The Weeknd showing up in the latter for a cameo role where he plays himself during a nightclub sequence. The memorable sequence ends with the singer having a fight with Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner.

Shults made a name for himself with his low-budget 2015 drama Krisha before being picked up by A24 for the eerie 2017 thriller, It Comes at Night, starring Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough and Christopher Abbott. He most recently helmed the award-winning 2019 romance Waves, starring Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Meanwhile, both Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan are enjoying careers of utmost industry pertinence. Ortega is coming off the back of her success with the Netflix series Wednesday, helmed by Tim Burton, whilst Keoghan has enjoyed the media limelight starring in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin with Colin Farrell, which has been doing the awards show circuit.

Take a look at the trailer for Trey Edward Shults’ most recent movie, Waves, below.