My Chemical Romance’s spectacular new short film, Prelude to The End, features an unexpected cast including Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Hideo Kojima and Scrubs actor John C. McGinley.
Released on October 29, the film was directed by artist and filmmaker Lauren Tsai as a collaboration between My Chemical Romance and her creative project, The Dying World.
Among the biggest surprises are Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers, who both lend their voices to phone conversations involving the film’s central character, Astrid. Eilish is credited as “Friend of Astrid”, while Bridgers plays her sister.
They’re joined by legendary video game creator Hideo Kojima, credited as The Teacher, and John C. McGinley, best known for portraying Dr Perry Cox in Scrubs, who plays The Dean. Tsai herself takes on the role of Astrid.
Interestingly, Tsai has previously worked with both Bridgers and Kojima. In 2023, she directed the animated music video for boygenius’ Cool About It, while she also appeared as The Artist in Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Behind the scenes, the film features stop-motion animation by Tobias Fouracre, whose previous credits include Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs. Nick Cinelli produced the film, while Tsai also served as executive producer and editor.
The film also features Flying River, a violin concerto composed by Pascal Dusapin and performed by Daniel Lozakovich alongside the Utopia Orchestra.
Its release comes just ahead of My Chemical Romance’s final Hollywood Bowl performances on October 30 and 31, prompting speculation about what the band might have planned next. However, there is currently no confirmation that the short film is connected to any upcoming music…
Prelude to The End is available to watch now on My Chemical Romance’s official YouTube channel.