The Weeknd is taking his talents as a writer to the big screen.
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The hit singer is starring in a film he co-wrote and co-produced, marking his feature film debut, reports Deadline. The currently untitled film is also set to feature Wednesday and Scream VI star Jenna Ortega and Irish actor Barry Keoghan, known for his roles in Dunkirk, The Killing of Sacred Deer, and others. The film will be directed by Trey Edward Shults, known for writing and directing the horror film, It Comes at Night, and critically acclaimed dramas Waves and Krisha.
Plot details are minimal, but The Weeknd, Shults, and Reza Fahim are all credited as writers, with the “Blinding Lights” singer, Fahim, Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss tapped as producers. Shults and Ortega are said to be executive producers.
The Weekend has previously appeared onscreen with a cameo in the 2019 Adam Sandler film, Uncut Gems, and will star in the HBO series The Idol that he co-created with Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. The show also stars Lily-Rose Depp as a rising pop artist who has a fall from grace, with The Weeknd playing Tedros, a cult leader and Depp’s love interest. Troye Sivan, Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy and Saved By the Bell‘s Elizabeth Berkley are also set to appear in the show that is expected to debut in 2023.
The Weeknd also wrote a song for the soundtrack of the second Avatar film, Avatar: The Way of Water, “Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Hope.” “They told me they had one name on the list to do the song and it was me,” The Weeknd said about how the opportunity to write the song came about. “It feels kismet and it’s a full-circle moment for me to be a part of something like this because it is such an important film for me.”
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