The Weeknd is trying his hand at film — again. However, despite the infamy of 2023’s “The Idol” on HBO, I think that this time, things will work out for him and his upcoming film, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” based on the album of the same name released in January. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that there is still no modern-day artist who is better equipped to finally do the unthinkable — make the successful transition to directing films.

Musical artists, despite their creative prowess in their own spaces, have historically had difficulty in translating their sonic genius to the big screen.

Many of the greatest personas in the history of music, including Prince, Madonna and Frank Sinatra have tried to make it big in films, but none have attained any concrete successes. Most, actually, have failed — comically.

When The Weeknd released his TV show “The Idol” in 2023, in which he also starred in, he joined the extensive ranks of immensely talented musicians that directed horrible cinematic experiences. Even if you aren’t a fan of The Weeknd, you probably know how much of a disaster “The Idol” was.

I wish I could provide a more thorough analysis of exactly why the show didn’t work, but I actually haven’t watched it, and I have absolutely no intention of ever doing so. The few clips I’ve seen on TikTok — against my will — have already done enough irreparable damage to my perception of my favorite artist. I don’t want to risk ruining the mystique around his music — something I love — by having to forever associate it with the trainwreck that is “Tedros” in the show.

However, just because the show ended up as a disaster, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t have the potential to be great. 

In my opinion, The Weeknd is easily the best mainstream musical artist in at least the last 20 years at worldbuilding — few artists have the capacity to tell stories in their music that connect listeners in such a vivid way.

This heightened level of immersion is present in different ways across his discography. The “Trilogy” compilation takes listeners to the dark, grimy and oftentimes downright disturbing nature of his life as an underprivileged young adult. His subsequent project, the melancholic “Kiss Land,” takes listeners to a different, almost utopian world that symbolizes the isolation he experienced with his initial fame. A recent project, “Dawn FM,” is perhaps the most stylistically unique in his catalogue, taking listeners through an ’80s-like radio station in purgatory, where The Weeknd explores his regrets at a point of total darkness. Every album is stylized differently with distinctly unique themes and stories. 

The Weeknd has made his name off of singing about some of the most harrowing topics imaginable over vocals that are so serene that they’re almost intoxicating. It’s a trait that, frankly, no other artist possesses to the level he does — the ability to take you to such dark places while simultaneously sounding so good. 

Based on the limited clips I’ve seen of “The Idol,” the problem is that the balance struck between raw and digestible in his music doesn’t seem to exist in the show — it just comes across as harshly aggressive, uncomfortable and gross.

However, with “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd seems to aim to fix that. Last week, The Weeknd discussed the “Hurry Up Tomorrow” film alongside director Trey Edward Shults and actor Jenna Ortega in a rare interview.

The Weeknd is infamous for never doing interviews — the interviews he’s done for this film release mark some of the first he’s done in-person and on camera since the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, in anticipation of the release of “The Idol.”

In the interview, he gives some of the backstory behind his upcoming film, and based on initial impressions, the focus seems to be much more cohesive than that of his first venture into cinema.

The Weeknd said the idea for the “Hurry Up Tomorrow” movie came before production of the music even began, and thus the focus, which was a massive issue for “The Idol,” should ideally be much more concise.

The “Hurry Up Tomorrow” album is the final of a trilogy that is supposed to symbolize the end of the character that is The Weeknd. Out of all of his projects, which, bluntly, tend to be fairly toxic, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” represents the version of The Weeknd that feels the most “healed,” so to speak. Redemption and remorse are bigger themes in this project, both things that will likely be much easier for audiences to digest than the unchecked, unfocused vulgarity of “The Idol.”

Approaching the story from this perspective allows for The Weeknd to teeter closer to the balance that he strikes in his music of telling unapologetically raw and honest stories that are still enjoyable to consume. 

The Weeknd himself admitted in the interview that this project was much more “personal” than the last and that he felt much more in control this time around, admitting that “The Idol” never really felt like his vision. The hope for us fans is that, with this added vulnerability, we get a story that feels easier to connect with — like his music oftentimes is. 

It may be the superfan in me, but I genuinely do believe that this film has a chance at finding some success. The Weeknd has levels of storytelling in his work that can’t be found in any other medium. It has the potential to be amazing on the big screen, it just needs to be done with the right amount of care.

A world where “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is successful would not only do wonders for his career, but it would also open the floodgates for music artists desiring to realize their creativity elsewhere. 

Just as The Weeknd has innovated the R&B genre and revitalized styles of pop music that have been long dead, he could also provide a similar spark to the cinematic space. He’s constantly pushed the needle throughout his music career — I believe it’s only natural that he does the same in the film space, and is finally the one to take the step into Hollywood that his peers can follow. 

Kailen Hicks is a sophomore writing about current trends, conflicts and discourse around music in his column “Noteworthy Noise,” which runs every other Thursday.