The Idol Trailer: Lily-Rose Depp & The Weeknd Star In 'Sick And Twisted' Hollywood Love Story
Borrowing a page from Daniel Craig's playbook, HBO really said, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Weeknd" and dropped a new teaser for the Grammy-winning artist's upcoming series "The Idol" on a Sunday morning.
According to the fast-paced sneak peek at the collaboration between Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim, the series will tell "the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood." This tagline appears in a hyperactive sequence of sex, lavish parties, attractive people, guns, fast cars, and a good amount of cocaine, along with a voice-over demanding, "More, more, more orgy!" Lily-Rose Depp's character even admits that there's "nothing relatable" about her lavish, excessive lifestyle. With major vibes of Levinson's previous work with some Tarantino sprinkled in, suffice to say, the stage is certainly set for sleaze.
Do you trust me?
While the preview ends simply with a promise that the HBO original series is coming soon, we previously learned that the six-episode drama will follow a singer as she enters a romance with a self-help guru who turns out to be a cult leader. As seen in the trailer, Depp of Kevin Smith's "Yoga Hosers" stars as the pop performer Jocelyn opposite Tesfaye's enigmatic figure.
The cast is also set to include Troye Sivan, Suzanna Son, and Steve Zissis as series regulars and Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga, and Anne Heche in recurring roles. Behind the scenes, "The Girlfriend Experience" co-creator Amy Simetz signed on as the director and executive producer, and Joe Epstein joined as the showrunner, while the rest of the executive producer line up was to include Ashley Levinson and Kevin Turen of Little Lamb, Aaron L. Gilbert of Bron Studios, and Nick Hall and Sara E. White of A24. However, "The Idol" did recently undergo a series of significant changes and reshoots back in April 2022, and it's unclear how many of the aforementioned names are still attached to the project.
This shake up was due to the departure of Simetz from the project. Her reasons for leaving are still unknown, but a statement from the network did mention that the cast and crew would be adjusted to serve the show's new creative direction. Thanks to these developments, it's uncertain who remains attached to the series for sure (other than those in the teaser) and in what capacity at this time. With an impending premiere on the horizon, we're likely to get some answers soon, one way or another.