‘Please stop telling him that he can act’: The internet was excited for Jenna Ortega’s new thriller — until they saw her co-star

Jenna Ortega is quickly and confidently becoming Hollywood’s new “It” girl. We don’t know if it’s her particularly gifted eye for picking out acclaimed shows and movies, or it’s simply her acting that makes her the perfect star, but whatever it is, she’s nailed it.

With her well-known love of horror cinema, fans have been praying and hoping that she’d finally be cast in the next big psychological thriller to keep us on our toes (RIP Gone Girl, you’ll be missed), and you know what — she finally heard us. As it turns out, a new movie is in the works starring not only Ortega, but also Barry Keoghan.

Just imagine Keoghan, one of Ireland’s brightest stars and a muse for Sabrina Carpenter’s music, alongside Carpenter’s other favorite muse, Ortega. “IT’S GOING TO BE A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WE WON,” said a fan on X. We were almost inclined to share that same sentiment. Almost.

Here’s where things took a turn. The film, titled Hurry Up Tomorrow, will be based on The Weeknd’s upcoming album. And, as it turns out, Abel Tesfaye himself will also star in this thriller alongside Ortega and Keoghan. At first glance, you might not think this is even noteworthy. After all, more often than not, musicians leap to acting at some point in their careers. But if The Idol taught us anything, it’s to proceed with caution.

Just hear us out. Everyone has a show that evokes a unique brand of frustration. For some, it’s Glee and Lea Michele’s singing-crying face, for others, it’s the incestuous shippers of Supernatural. But The Idol managed to inspire a collective dread like no other. What began as a promising project with a cool premise quickly became a pornographic spectacle for middle-aged men seeking power trips with much younger girls.

Imagine taking a show about a young pop star navigating the music world, only for lines like “He seems rapey”—”I kinda like that” to make it into the script. That’s The Idol in a nutshell. But the issue wasn’t only with the script or the premise — it was also Tesfaye’s acting. “One fascinating thing about The Idol is how quickly it reveals The Weeknd, the literal face of the show, as quite possibly one of the worst actors I’ve ever seen,” said a user on X. Harsh, but no truer words have been spoken.

Naturally, fans were less than thrilled to hear about Tesfaye’s addition to this new film. While everyone undeniably wants to see Ortega and Keoghan tackle a psychological thriller, few are excited about Tesfaye’s return to the screen, especially alongside Hollywood’s biggest stars at the moment. “Stop casting The Weeknd in things, I’m BEGGING,” pleaded a fan.

There is a silver lining, though. Besides the upcoming album — which, in all fairness, we’re excited for, since if there’s one thing The Weeknd excels at, it’s making music — the film will not be directed by Sam Levinson. This could mean we’re in for a much better script, and aside from Tesfaye, much better acting. If only it weren’t for a small little detail that might derail the whole thing.

At this moment, IMDb currently lists Tesfaye as both a producer and a writer for the film, so there’s still something to be feared. Fortunately, the director is Trey Edward Shults, known for the psychological horror It Comes at Night and the 2019 drama Waves — so we might just be in good hands. While no release date has been announced, only time will tell if this flick will tank, much like a certain HBO drama.