During his After Hours Til Dawn Tour stop at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, The Weeknd debuted the teaser for his forthcoming HBO Max series The Idol.
Co-created by The Weeknd, Reza Fahim, and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, the six-episode drama is “set against the backdrop of the music industry and centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol,” according to HBO’s official synopsis.
Written by The Weeknd, Levinson, Fahim, and Joe Epstein, The Idol stars The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, with a supporting cast that includes Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Hari Nef, and Juliebeth Gonzalez.
Variety reported that Amy Seimetz had exited from her role as director on the project and that sources say the show will be going in a new creative direction with significant reshoots. Levinson stepped in to direct the series after Seimetz left.
In addition, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, Liz Caribel Sierra, and Finley Rose Slater are slated to make appearances.
“When the multi-talented Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and Sam Levinson brought us The Idol, it was clear their subversive, revelatory take on the cult of the music industry was unlike anything HBO had ever done before,” Executive Vice President of HBO Programming Francesca Orsi said when the series was first announced in June 2021. “Shortly after, the brilliant duo of Joe Epstein and Amy Seimetz joined forces with the rest of the team, and this dream became a reality.”
It’s unclear when The Idol will premiere on HBO Max, but check out the official teaser up top.
