For months now, the hype machine has been in full swing for HBO's upcoming series The Idol, billed as a darker, crazier and more risqué version of Levinson's smash hit Euphoria. Levinson and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye are the "sick and twisted minds" behind the "sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood" (HBO's own words) that follows pop superstar Jocelyn (Depp) after a nervous breakdown derails her latest tour. Now she's determined to claim her rightful status as America's biggest and sexiest pop star. Her passions are rekindled by Tedros (Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or to the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?
Troye Sivan also stars along with Dan Levy (Schitt's Creek), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building), Eli Roth, Hari Nef (You), Jane Adams (Sneaky Pete), Jennie Kim, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott (Call Your Mother), Ramsey, Suzanna Son and Hank Azaria (Hello Tomorrow!).
The series has had some setbacks during its production, such as delays, reshoots and rewrites. One contributor to the series said, "It was, shall we say, a complete mess".
The first public suspicion of trouble came last April, when director Amy Seimetz, of The Girlfriend Experience and She Dies Tomorrow, suddenly called it quits with about 80 percent filmed of the six-part series. HBO addressed the news by confirming that The Idol would be undergoing a major creative overhaul and adjusting the cast and crew. There was little explanation for the change, other than reports that Tesfaye, who is a co-creator, felt the series leaned too much toward a "female perspective".
In interviews with thirteen members of the series' cast and crew, Rolling Stone found that the drastic delay was caused by Levinson taking over as director and scrapping the nearly completed $54-75 million project to rewrite and reshoot the entire thing.
HBO called The Idol one of the network's "most exciting and provocative original programs," in a statement to Rolling Stone, adding "that the creative team is committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful work environment, and last year the team made creative changes that they felt were in the best interests of both the production and the cast and crew."
The Idol was co-created by Sam Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim. Levinson, Tesfaye and Fahim produce with Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Joseph Epstein, Aaron L. Gilbert for Bron and Sara E. White. Levinson also directs. The series is produced in collaboration with A24.
The Idol can be seen on HBO from Sunday 4 June. Watch the latest trailer for The Idol below.
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