Is the Weeknd killing off the Weeknd persona? Clues permeate the first “Hurry Up Tomorrow” movie trailer

We might be saying goodbye to the Weeknd very soon. With the arrival of the first trailer for Hurry Up Tomorrow, a film inspired by the musician's sixth studio album, the "Blinding Lights" and "After Hours" star injects a ton of clues that allude to one Abel Tesfaye retiring his long-used stage persona.

The trailer itself is extremely trippy, beginning with an upside-down cityscape and a shot of Tesfaye, playing a version of himself, almost entirely submerged in water. "Death is nothing at all. It does not count," Jenna Ortega says in voiceover as the character of Anima. "Everything returns exactly how it was." (As in, the Weeknd reverting back to Abel Tesfaye?)

Tesfaye then repeats multiple times throughout the preview, "Call me by the old familiar name." (So, Abel!)

Related: The Weeknd is verging on a mental breakdown in first look at his feature debut, Hurry Up Tomorrow

Entertainment Weekly spoke with Hurry Up Tomorrow director Trey Edward Shults prior to the trailer drop and asked whether this film is meant to end the Weeknd persona. He acknowledged it's "absolutely" a possibility. "I tried to make the movie in a way where, for his fans and people who want to approach it at that level, I hope it's very satisfying and you get a good meal out of it," he said. "And for people that aren't his fans and don't know anything about him or even care about the final capping of the Weeknd, I think you still have a great movie to go through."

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Hurry Up Tomorrow follows Abel, who is "plagued by insomnia" and "pulled into an odyssey with a stranger [Ortega's Anima] who begins to unravel the very core of his existence," according to a cryptic logline from film studio Lionsgate.

"It's about an artist, you could say, on the verge of a mental breakdown," Shults prefaced. "He meets this woman, and they go on this odyssey together. It's a mix of psychological thriller and drama. I honestly feel like I've never seen a movie quite like it."

Related: The Weeknd breaks his Grammys boycott with surprise performance

Ortega's understanding of Anima (a.k.a. "Ani") is that she's another version of Abel, specifically "a side of him that the persona the Weeknd doesn't show as much," the actress said. Meanwhile, Saltburn star Barry Keoghan plays Lee, Abel's manager. "I think there's a lot of love from him, and he has a history with Abel's character, but I think there are some darker intentions with him as well," Shults teased.

"This experience was really introspective and cathartic for me," Tesfaye said separately. "From writing to production and through post — I realized just how much of a catalyst this art form can be for conversations about our emotions, mental health, and vulnerabilities."

Hurry Up Tomorrow will premiere in theaters this May 16. Watch the trailer above and read more about the film from EW's exclusive interview.

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