After months in limbo, Hurry Up Tomorrow – a loose remake of 1990’s Misery – has finally found a studio distributor in the form of Lionsgate.
In January, we covered a report which revealed that a ‘loose remake’ of Misery has been shot, featuring an ensemble cast and reimagining the 1990 horror thriller for the modern world, with its ever-growing fascination for celebrity culture. As such, the rather unhealthy relationship dynamic so perfectly portrayed by Kathy Bates and James Caan in the original film (adapted from the Stephen King novel) has been changed. The Caan character, originally named Paul Sheldon, is no longer a famous writer, but rather a famous singer.
Whereas the original story saw a crazed fan keeps her favourite writer hostage, forcing him to rewrite his stories to suit her tastes, this time it looks as though it will be lyrics and melodies getting rewritten instead. Music star The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is also set to star as the hostage celebrity. He was last seen in the much-maligned TV series The Idol, so it remains to be seen whether he can reignite the momentum behind his burgeoning acting career.
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Jenna Ortega plays the unhealthy superfan (replacing Kathy Bates’ unforgettable Annie Wilkes), while Barry Keoghan will also appear in some role or other. On paper at least, it sounds like a cast that could draw in a younger audience to cinemas, and yet filmmaker Trey Edwards Shults’ film has essentially sat on the shelf for the best part of a year, waiting to find a distributor to finance the release of the film.
According to Deadline however, Lionsgate has finally picked up Hurry Up Tomorrow for release at some point in 2025. Apparently, The Weeknd will release a tie-in album of the same name. Exactly why the project spent so long on the sidelines, given its modest $20m price tag, ensemble of stars and connection to an a classic film, remains unclear at this point. Perhaps we’ll find out ant some point.
If we do hear more about this project’s odd journey to the screen, we’ll certainly cover it on these (virtual) pages..
