The Idol

Leaked Scripts For HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Reportedly Feature The Weeknd’s Character Doing Some Disturbingly Violent And Sexual Things

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HBO’s upcoming series The Idol is already proving to be one of the most talked about series of 2023, despite not having an actual premiere date. However, the Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye-created series seems to be proving rather chaotic and disastrous behind the scenes, not unlike the second season of Levinson’s teen drama, Euphoria.

Last April, the show was reported to go into an overhaul, with Levinson taking over as the show’s director, in place of Amy Seimetz, who was originally set to direct the series.

According to several anonymous sources, who spoke to Rolling Stone, Levinson ramped up the sexual content during the overhaul.

According to Rolling Stone:

“At various points, Levinson’s scripts contained disturbing sexual and physically violent scenes between [Lily Rose] Depp and Tesfaye’s characters, three sources familiar with the matter claim. In one draft episode, there allegedly was a scene where Tesfaye bashes in Depp’s face, and her character smiles and asks to be beaten more, giving Tesfaye an erection. (This scene was never shot, the source says.) Another proposed scenario was for Depp to carry an egg in her vagina and if she dropped or cracked the egg, Tesfaye’s character would refuse to “rape” her — which sent Depp’s character into a spiral, begging him to ‘rape’ her because she believed he was the key to her success. (This scene also was not filmed because production couldn’t find a way to realistically shoot the scene without having Depp physically insert the egg, another source explains.)”

Another source claimed that while The Idol was supposed to explore and satirize the dark side of 21st-century stardom, the show lost its original messaging amid the overhaul.

“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,” said the source.

At the time of writing, it is unclear which scenes will make it into the final show, as many of the sources say that scripts were being changed and rewritten daily. According to one source, Levinson had stopped turning in scripts to the higher-ups at HBO at one point during production.

The Weeknd’s HBO Show ‘The Idol’ Is Reportedly A ‘Sh*tshow’ Due To Drastic Changes, Production Issues, And So Much More

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When it was reported that the buzzy upcoming HBO show The Idol was undergoing massive production changes last April, all anyone could do was speculate on the supposed “new creative direction” it would take. Interest in the show was high, given its all-star cast consisting of co-creator Abel Tesfaye (better known as The Weeknd) and Lily-Rose Depp and the involvement of high-profile producer Sam Levinson of Euphoria fame.

However, a new report from Rolling Stone suggests that the changes have mostly been for the worst, with the show going from “a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century,” according to one production member, “to the thing it was satirizing.”

The show, which was to follow Depp’s character as she became involved in a cult led by Tesfaye’s character, was overhauled as The Weeknd apparently felt it was focusing too much on the “female perspective” and wanted to highlight his character more. This reportedly led to director Amy Seimetz (She Dies Tomorrow, The Girlfriend Experience) dropping out and Levinson replacing her as director, then promptly throwing out everything she’d already shot — 80 percent of the six-episode series.

The new material has been described as “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show,” with lurid depictions of sexual encounters between Tesfaye and Depp’s characters in scripts, ramped-up explicit nudity, and even a violent scene in which Tesfaye’s character beats Depp. While some of these scenes were never shot, one source described the scripts as “sexual torture porn.”

Many of the sources say they don’t even know what will make it into the final show because so many scenes were reshot, scripts were changed daily, and the shoot went wildly over budget and time. High-profile castings such as Blackpink’s Jennie amounted to inconsequential storylines, with a crew member saying, “Her job was to sit there [and] look pretty, basically.” Meanwhile, other actors were “wiped from the show” entirely after thinking they’d gotten their big breaks.

With so many issues, there’s no telling how the show itself will actually turn out, but HBO continues to promote it with multiple trailers, even though a release date has yet to be determined (it’s still aiming for sometime in 2023).

We’ll see if Levinson, The Weeknd, or any of the cast have anything to say, but for now, things aren’t looking great. Still the show is already shaping up to be another hit for HBO — the real question is, will it be worth it?

Lily-Rose Depp On Working With The Weeknd For “The Idol”

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Lily-Rose Depp discussed her upcoming role in HBO’s The Idol during a new cover story for i-D. In the piece, Depp discussed starring alongside The Weeknd, who plays her love interest on the show. She says that the singer helped her feel “so empowered” on set.

“Talk about trust and comfort. I had to go to a lot of really vulnerable places in the show. Abel was the best partner that I could have ever asked for. He has my back and I have his,” Depp told the outlet. “I just felt so free and liberated, so empowered.”

Lily-Rose Depp For “i-D”

As for her role, she explained that Jocelyn was the role of her dreams. “I’ve dreamt of roles like this for forever. I just don’t think that you could give an actress a greater gift than a role like this,” Depp said. “This has been the most meaningful and important project that I’ve ever done, and the thing that I’m the proudest of. I don’t know where to begin. Jocelyn is the most wonderfully complex character. She’s so fascinating. A mystery. After a year of living with that character, I’m still obsessed with her. I just want to keep digging deeper.”

Depp also explained that The Idol was a learning experience for her. “I was gaining so much from just being present in the moment, even in between takes or when they’re changing the camera setup. Just watching our DPs set up these shots and the lighting. I gained so much from really having my eyes open,” she said. Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed growing up as the daughter of celebrities, something she says gives her imposter syndrome.

In addition to Depp and The Weeknd, The Idol stars Jane Adams, Hank Azaria, Hari Nef, Dan Levy, Troye Sivan, and Jennie of K-Pop supergroup Blackpink. The Weeknd is credited as a creator alongside Reza Fahim and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson. The show doesn’t have an official release date but is scheduled to hit HBO at some point in 2023. Check out the second official teaser trailer for The Idol below.

“The Idol” Trailer

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HBO Drops A Star-Studded New Trailer For ‘The Idol,’ With The Weeknd, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, And More

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HBO has revealed another trailer for its upcoming series, The Idol. The series will tell the story of “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 a statement.

In the latest trailer, which says the series is spawned from “the gutters of Hollywood,” Lily Rose Depp seemingly appears as a pop star named Jocelyn, as she storms through a record label office, exercises in her mansion, parties in a club, and

The trailer teases appearances from several musicians, including The Weeknd, Moses Sumney, Jennie Ruby Jane of Blackpink, Troye Sivan, Ramsey, and producer Mike Dean. Actors Dan Levy, Hank Azaria, Suzanna Son, Jane Adams, and Rachel Sennott, also appear in the trailer.

The Idol is the newest project from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, who is developing the show alongside The Weeknd.

Britney Spears is also rumored to have a part in the upcoming series, as she posted a picture of herself, The Weeknd, and Levinson on set earlier this year.

As of now, there is no confirmed premiere date for The Idol, but according to the trailer, we can expect it soon.

Check out the latest trailer above.

The Weeknd Shares A New Trailer From His Upcoming HBO Show, ‘The Idol’

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Last summer, The Weeknd announced a new show with HBO called The Idol. The series is co-created and co-executive produced with Reza Fahim and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson and the six-episode show 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”. A little over a year after the show was announced, The Weeknd has now shared a new trailer for it. The 90-second clip features The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, who both star in The Idol, as they go through chaotic moments at a mansion, out in the city, and more.

The road towards The Idol hasn’t been entirely smooth. Back in April, HBO announced that the series would undergo an overhaul due to the decision to head in a “new creative direction.” In a statement, HBO wrote, “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series.” Three months after that update was shared, the series’ cast now includes Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Hari Nef, Juliebeth Gonzalez, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, and more.

You can watch the trailer for the upcoming show, which does not have a release date yet, in the video above.

The Weeknd’s HBO Series ‘The Idol’ Will Undergo An Overhaul As It Heads In A ‘New Creative Direction’

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Last summer, a little over a year after he released his chart-topping fourth album After Hours, it was announced that The Weeknd would star in an upcoming HBO series called The Idol. The show would also be co-written and co-executive produced with Reza Fahim Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, with all three being listed as co-creators of the series. The Idol was revealed to be about a female pop singer who falls in love with an L.A. club owner who also leads a secret cult. While some were looking forward to the series’ release, they’ll have to wait a bit longer thanks to an announcement from HBO.

According to Variety, The Idol will undergo an overhaul due to the decision to head in a “new creative direction.” HBO shared a statement with the publication where it expanded on the new decision. “The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction,” HBO said. “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon.”

HBO did not reveal what sparked the decision to head in a new creative direction.

The announcement comes after The Weeknd teamed up with Kaytranada for a new remix of “Out Of Time.”

The Weeknd Will Star In The Upcoming HBO Series, ‘The Idol,’ Co-Created By The Mind Behind ‘Euphoria’

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After an impressive year run that concluded with his sixth album, After Hours, The Weeknd will now bring his talents to the small screen. According to Variety, the singer will star in the upcoming HBO series The Idol, which is about a female pop singer who falls in love with an L.A. club owner who also leads a secret cult. The singer will also co-write and a co-executive produce the series alongside Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, with all the three being labeled as co-creators.

Joseph Epstein will also write and executive produce on the show in addition to acting as showrunner. Levinson is also responsible for HBO’s hit series Euphoria, which landed a number of Emmy nominations, one of which was given to Zendaya for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

This is far from the first time that The Weeknd has found himself on television . In 2020, he appeared as himself in an American Dad episode, titled “A Starboy is Born,” that we also co-wrote. He also played himself on the big screen, in the 2019 film, Uncut Gems.

On the music side of things, The Weeknd recently joined Doja Cat in a video for their first-ever collaboration “You Right.”