Sam Levinson is set to bring June’s sultriness to television with his controversial series, ‘The Idol.’ After keeping the audience on tenterhooks with three teasers, the fourth teaser hits the spot with Britney Spears’ ‘Gimme More’ and Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd’s sizzling chemistry.
‘The Idol’ has been in a whirlwind of controversy since before the teasers were released. Amy Seimetz was supposed to helm the HBO, now Max, series. However, she opted out of the series. Along with her, one of the co-stars also left the project. Now, Sam Levinson is donning the hat of the director. The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, has co-written the series along with being the executive producer and starring in it as Tedros. Lily will star as an emerging pop star, Jocelyn.
Related: The Weeknd Responds To Claims That He Created Ruckus On ‘The Idol’ Sets
Everything To Know About ‘The Idol’
Sam Levinson had been infamous for creating eccentric and dark content in the HBO verse. The resounding success of ‘Euphoria’ cemented his stance as a director of long-form content. Now, along with Reza Fahim, he will be co-creating ‘The Idol.’ The protagonists include Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye. The series will be released globally on June 4, 2023, on Max, after its Cannes premiere.
The story of ‘The Idol’ is touted as “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.” It traces the story of “a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic L.A. club owner who is the leader of a secret cult.” Along with Lily and the ‘Blinding Lights’ singer, the star cast includes Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, Troye Sivan, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ actor Dan Levy, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Elizabeth Berkley, and others.
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Why The Lily-Rose Depp Starrer Came Under Fire?
‘The Idol’ became controversial even before its premiere or release. It all started when Sam Levinson took the reins from Amy and became the director of the show. Rolling Stone did an investigative article on the show and how it became “a rape fantasy for every toxic man.” A source said, “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show—and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”
The sources told the magazine that the story and script deviated from their original goal, which was to satirize Hollywood. One of the production members said, “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. 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.” The source added, “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”
.@RollingStone did we upset you? pic.twitter.com/Uyx06lyRgx
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) March 1, 2023
The Weeknd, who is also the co-creator, was not happy with the direction in which the show was going. He felt that it was leaning towards the “female perspective.” So, he asked for reshoots. After the Rolling Stone article, The Weeknd posted a tweet online with a scene, captioning it, “@Rollingstone did we upset you?”
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