The Weeknd’s drama series The Idol that he’s co-created has received an official order from HBO Max. The show will follow a rising pop star who becomes involved with a nightclub owner that also runs a dangerous cult. The upcoming program was announced to have been in the production stage earlier this year when the hitmaker was first attached to its team.
HBO Programming’s executive vice president, Francesca Orsi, gave a statement where she noted through Variety that the songwriter and Euphoria co-creators Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, had come up with something remarkable. “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,” she said.
Orsi went on to express that, with the addition of several key team members, the project became too good to pass up. ‘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,’ she stated.
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The former is currently set to act as the project’s showrunner and as one of its executive producers. The latter of the two will direct all six episodes of the forthcoming program. The Idol is centered around a rising pop star who becomes involved with a nightclub owner that also runs a dangerous cult. The Weeknd was previously announced as one of the project’s principal cast members. The Blinding Lights singer will also write and serve as an executive producer for the program.
Lily-Rose Depp was also announced to have signed on to star in the forthcoming show. Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, and Steve Zissis have all signed on as series regulars. Recurring cast members include Nico Hiraga, Melanie Liburd, Anne Heche, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, and TV on the Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe. The Idol currently does not have a set release date.