HBO Drops ‘The Idol’ Trailer & Release Date After On-Set Drama
Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd's upcoming HBO Max show finally has a release date, and it's coming sooner than you think.
The Weeknd has officially set out to take over TV. The famous singer, born Abel Tesfaye is now starring in, co-writing, and executive producing one of HBO Max’s latest new shows titled The Idol.
With its all-star production team—Euphoria’s Sam Levinson is a co-creator of the series, and Reza Fahim, Tesfaye’s creative producer, will produce the show—it seems that the show would be set up for success. However, new bombshell revelations about Levinson's creative direction and behind-the-scenes drama have everyone, including members of the show's own production crew, wondering if the show will even air, or if it even should.
Below, L'OFFICIEL has everything you need to know about this new drama.
Plot
The original plot of the show announced by HBO followed an up-and-coming pop star’s relationship with a self-help guru who also happens to be a nightclub owner and cult leader. However, since Levinson's complete control of the show—after director Amy Seimetz suddenly departed in April 2022—the series may have taken a turn. "What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century," one production crew member said in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone in early 2023. "The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world. [However,] it went from satire to the thing it was satirizing."
One source stated, "Levinson ultimately scrapped Seimetz’s approach to the story, making it less about a troubled starlet falling victim to a predatory industry figure and fighting to reclaim her own agency, and more of a degrading love story with a hollow message that some crew members describe as being offensive."
Another insider added, "It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it."
Now, even with three teaser trailers released, there's still no solidified confirmation of what viewers should be expecting to watch.
Cast
Along with Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp will also star in The Idol. Although neither of their character names has been released yet, we have no doubt these stars together will have our eyes glued to the screen. In addition, HBO has also confirmed that Troye Sivan, Debby Ryan, Steve Kissis, Juliebeth Gonzalez, Finley Rose Slater, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, and Liz Sierra will all be a part of the cast.
Filming
Filming for the series began in November 2021 before taking a brief hiatus in April 2022 while Tesfaye co-headlined Coachella. Following the music festival, Variety reported that production was using the break to make major cast and crew changes and would be filming a significant number of reshoots to move the show in a new "creative direction."
Filming concluded on July 17, 2022, however, the show has yet to release due to "the production [being] plagued by delays, reshoots, and rewrites," as stated by inside sources to Rolling Stone. Additionally, the show went through various changes after Tesfaye reportedly was unhappy that the series was being told through a "feminist lens" and wanted more of the show to be about him.
"It was like the Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that," a source told Rolling Stone in March 2023. Another source added that Tesfaye's busy schedule made the reshoots difficult. "It was really frustrating because they were working so hard to make it possible to shoot and be released with his concert or whatever his timeline was [and] it all got thrown out the window."
Trailer
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The show's first teaser trailer offers a first look at the series "from the sick and twisted minds of Sam Levinson and The Weeknd." In it, both Depp and Tesfaye are seen engaging in some very NSFW behavior (unless your work is owning a nightclub, I suppose) while the Chanel poster girl struts about in several scantily-clad ensembles. Ahead of its Cannes Film Festival Debut, the fourth teaser trailer reveals additional context. Opening to "Gimme More" by Britney Spears, we see Depp posing for the cameras briefly before the clip cuts to her dancing at a night club. "He's brainswashed her," we hear as Depp takes to the stage. As per the show's logline, it seems that we can expect a rather "complicated" on-screen relationship between the cult leader and rising pop idol.
Release Date
According to the trailer, the show premieres June 4 on Max.
