An all-new, tantalising trailer for HBO’s forthcoming drama series The Idol has been released. Starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, The Idol was created by Tesfaye, Sam Levinson (who previously created Euphoria), and Reza Fahim. Newcomer Lily-Rose Depp will play the lead role of a pop singer who develops romantic feelings for the leader of a contemporary cult (The Weeknd). Troye Sivan, Jennie Ruby Jane, Moses Sumney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Dean, and Ramsey are just some of the numerous real-life music business individuals featured often on The Idol.
The remainder of the show’s primary cast includes Hank Azaria, Hari Nef, Suzanna Son, Hari Nef, Rachel Sennott, and Jane Adams. Similar to the mesmerising trailer for Euphoria, this one takes place in Los Angeles, although it ventures into the seedier parts of the city rather than a suburban high school. The teaser opens with shots of Depp’s Jocelyn continually singing, rehearsing, and partying in Los Angeles, displaying the show’s gorgeous photography. Jocelyn quickly runs into Tedros, the bassist for The Weeknd, who “All the world’s demons eventually end up in Los Angeles. Have no faith in other people.”
By the end of the clip, it’s clear that Jocelyn and Tedros’s friendship has sent them both on a destructive course that might alter their lives irrevocably. On top of his role as an executive producer alongside Ashley Levinson and Joseph Epstein, Levinson will also direct the show. Epstein not only writes for but also acts as the show’s showrunner. Once the show’s director and executive producer, Amy Seimetz quit the project after production was temporarily halted in April 2022 for what appears to have been a retooling of the series. After a brief hiatus in early May, production on the programme is back in full swing.
An expected November release date for The Idol has been pushed back to an uncertain time in 2023. Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, Liz Caribel Sierra, Finley Rose Slater, and the late Anne Heche are some of the regulars on the show. The Weeknd has won four Grammy Awards and has had record sales of over 75 million. Though The Idol is his first major role, The Weeknd is no stranger to the acting world. The Weeknd’s acting resume includes a cameo in Adam Sandler’s Uncut Gems as well as a co-written and voiced episode of American Dad. The Weeknd has been nominated for an Academy Award before; in 2016, his song “Earned It” from the film Fifty Shades of Grey was nominated for Best Original Song.
When it debuts on HBO in 2023, The Idol will be one of the most talked-about shows.