After co-creating and starring in “the sleaziest love story of all time”—the still unreleased series The Idol for HBO Max, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye will be making his feature film debut. Tesfaye has teamed up with 2019’s Waves director Trey Edward Shults to co-write the untitled film, which also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Plot details for the project are still under wraps, but the script was co-written with Shults, Tesfaye and his producing partner Reza Fahim (who also co-created The Idol). Deadline reports that both Ortega and Keoghan jumped at the project after reading the script. Promising, as both are currently some of the most indemand young actors in Tinsel Town.
Ortega has had a meteoric year, going from being best known for her role on Netflix’s You to starring in the the streamer’s smash hit Wednesday, for which she received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. She was also in Scream and X in 2022, cementing her status as a horror darling.
Keoghan is currently nominated for best supporting actor for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, which he starred in alongside fellow Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. He’s also expected, though still not confirmed to reprise his role as The Joker after a surprise cameo in The Batman earlier this year.
As for Tesfaye, he’s stayed busy continuing to promote his Jim Carrey-featuring 2022 album Dawn FM, the Ariana Grande remix of his 2016 hit “Die For You,” and the HBO concert film from his latest tour. The Idol still has no release date, but has a star-studded cast including Lily-Rose Depp, Jennie of Blackpink, Troye Sivan and Rachel Sennott.
