The musical artist, The Weeknd, has a new HBO series coming out in which he will star alongside Lily-Rose Depp. According to Vogue, his show, “The Idol,” explores the complicated relationship between a cult leader and an up-and-coming popstar. The show was directed by Amy Seimetz. However, back in April of 2022, production was halted due to artistic differences between Seimetz and The Weeknd. The show has resumed filming and is now directed by Euphoria’s program creator, Sam Levinson.
According to Vogue, Abel Tesfaye, also known by his stage name, The Weeknd, is creating the show alongside Reza Fahim and Levinson with A24 for HBO. Tesfaye will take on the role of a co-writer, executive producer, and star. He made an appearance as himself in the film, Uncut Gems, but his part in “The Idol” will be his first major acting role.
The log line of the six-part series reads, “a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult enters a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol,” according to Vogue. Tesfaye will play the role of the cult leader and Depp will play the popstar, Jocelyn.
Last week, Rolling Stone released an article about the upcoming series. It said the show has “gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails.” In response to the article, “Tesfaye, posted a clip from the series to Instagram and wrote, ‘Did we upset you?’” according to Variety. In the clip, a character played by Dan Levy pitches Tesfaye and Depp’s character Jocelyn to do a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone. Tesfaye’s character, Tedros, says, “Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little irrelevant?… Rolling Stone has 6 million followers on Instagram, half of them probably bots. And Jocelyn has 78 million followers, all real I’d assume. So she does a photo shoot, tags them, they get her followers. More money for Rolling Stone, nothing for Jocelyn.” Levy’s character says, “There’s a lot for Jocelyn,” to which Tedros responds, “Not in Rolling Stone.”
According to Variety, when asked for comment, the Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman replied to Tesfaye’s “Did we upset you?” caption with, “Not at all.” Rolling Stone titled their article about the series, “The Idol: How HBO’s Next ‘Euphoria’ Became Twisted ‘Torture Porn.’” In the article, Rolling Stone claims that the show is in turmoil due to a poor working environment, last minute script rewrites, and budget issues.
As stated by Variety, reports claimed that back in April of 2022, Tesfaye felt that the series was leaning too much into a “female perspective.” Rolling Stone reported that Levinson took over as director, “scrapping the nearly-finished $54-75 million project to rewrite and reshoot the entire thing.”
In a statement to Variety, HBO said that the initial approach in the early episodes of the show didn’t meet their standards, so they decided to make a change. They said that they made sure the creative team was committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and respectful working environment. HBO said last year that the team made creative changes that they felt were in the best interest of the production, cast, and crew.
Sources told Rolling Stone about a scrapped scene in which Tesfaye’s character bashes Depp’s face in and she smiles, and asks to be beaten more, which gives Tesfaye’s character an erection. According to Rolling Stone, Tesfaye’s character would refuse to rape Depp’s character which sent her into a spiral. Depp’s character begged him because she believed he was the key to her success.
The Rolling Stone reports the set as draining and chaotic with “divisions among Levinson’s inner circle” and production staff who were unaware of the constant changes.
In a statement to Variety, Depp defends Levinson. She said he’s the best director she’s ever worked with, and that she feels supported and respected. She also said that he values her input and opinions, as well as the other actors on set.
HBO has released three teaser trailers for “The Idol,” slated for 2023. However, the release date for the series is yet to be announced. Variety reported that the series is in talks to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.