“The Idol” A New HBO Show by the Weeknd
By Lara Barg
A cult leader consorting with a pop idol…what could go awry? This is the premise of the Weeknd’s new HBO Max show “The Idol”. From the creator of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, Razi Fahim and in collaboration with The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, comes a limited series that will follow a “ rising pop star named Jocelyn (Lily Rose Depp) who gets swept into the charm and deception of a self-help guru and cult leader (The Weeknd)” (Popsugar). Announced last year, with filming beginning in November, the show will “...involve heavy drug use, partying, reckless driving, guns, and sex..” while exposing the dark underbelly of the music and acting industry: the making for a very intriguing watch (Popsugar). The show has lined up an impressive cast, with Lily Rose Depp starring opposite the Weeknd, and Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, and Debby Ryan as supporting cast. The release date is unknown as of early July, but the recently released trailer insists that the show is on its way soon.
The creation of the six episode series hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. In April of this year, actress Suzanna Son and director Amy Seimtez left the show amid “creative differences”. Ryan has replaced Son in light of this and Levinson has taken a bigger role behind the scenes in response to the crew changes. Although it's unclear what prompted the retreat of some of the show’s cast and crew, HBO issued a statement saying, “The Idol's creative team continues to build…their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction... The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach..”
What we do know about the artistic fluctuations of the show is that the Weeknd was not pleased with the show’s fixation on the female outlook and believed the series leaned too much into Depp’s character. He allegedly wanted more spotlight on the role he played; Ironically the trailer largely exhibits Depp’s character Joceleyn and her exploits. No matter the creative direction, this will definitely be the show to watch out for this year and could provide some compelling insights into Hollywood.
Sources:
By Lara Barg
A cult leader consorting with a pop idol…what could go awry? This is the premise of the Weeknd’s new HBO Max show “The Idol”. From the creator of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, Razi Fahim and in collaboration with The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, comes a limited series that will follow a “ rising pop star named Jocelyn (Lily Rose Depp) who gets swept into the charm and deception of a self-help guru and cult leader (The Weeknd)” (Popsugar). Announced last year, with filming beginning in November, the show will “...involve heavy drug use, partying, reckless driving, guns, and sex..” while exposing the dark underbelly of the music and acting industry: the making for a very intriguing watch (Popsugar). The show has lined up an impressive cast, with Lily Rose Depp starring opposite the Weeknd, and Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, and Debby Ryan as supporting cast. The release date is unknown as of early July, but the recently released trailer insists that the show is on its way soon.
The creation of the six episode series hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. In April of this year, actress Suzanna Son and director Amy Seimtez left the show amid “creative differences”. Ryan has replaced Son in light of this and Levinson has taken a bigger role behind the scenes in response to the crew changes. Although it's unclear what prompted the retreat of some of the show’s cast and crew, HBO issued a statement saying, “The Idol's creative team continues to build…their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction... The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach..”
What we do know about the artistic fluctuations of the show is that the Weeknd was not pleased with the show’s fixation on the female outlook and believed the series leaned too much into Depp’s character. He allegedly wanted more spotlight on the role he played; Ironically the trailer largely exhibits Depp’s character Joceleyn and her exploits. No matter the creative direction, this will definitely be the show to watch out for this year and could provide some compelling insights into Hollywood.
Sources:
- Geigel, A. (2022, July 20). HBO's "The idol" explores the dark side of the music industry. POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/hbo-the-idol-true-story-48891565
- Hailu, S. (2022, April 27). Amy Seimetz out as director of the weeknd's HBO drama series 'the idol', series to undergo significant reshoots. Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-weeknd-hbo-the-idol-1235240109/
- IMDb.com. (n.d.). The idol. IMDb. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14954666/
- Lattanzio, R. (2022, July 18). 'The idol' trailer: The Weeknd Drops First Footage from HBO drama starring Lily-Rose Depp. IndieWire. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://www.indiewire.com/2022/07/the-idol-trailer-the-weeknd-hbo-1234742690/
- Murphy, J. K. (2022, July 17). The Weeknd Unveils Coked-up teaser for HBO series 'The idol' starring Lily-Rose Depp. Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-weeknd-hbo-show-trailer-the-idol-lily-rose-depp-1235318413/
- Perkins, N. (2022, July 20). Blackpink's Jennie Kim says she's "very excited" to join the Weeknd's "The idol" series. POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/hbo-the-idol-series-48399461
