“Idol” is a series with The Weeknd and Lily Rose Depp, which should repeat the success of “euphoria”

It could be a satire on Hollywood and his customs, but then the show was completely re -transferred. Now even participants in the filming do not understand what it is

The idol is a series that should be a breakthrough in the acting career of the successful musician The Weeknd, which also acted as a co -author of the script and the producer of the project. It became known about the show in 2021, its exit was expected in the fall of 2022, but the exact date of the release is still not known-as the whole is not clear what this series will be about. Initially, the script ridiculed Hollywood’s customs and his willingness to go to everything for the sake of fame, but then the director Amy Saymets left the project, and Sam Levinson completely relocated the material to replace the Showeri Showernner. In addition, when the work on the series ended, members of the film crew complained to journalists about difficult working conditions, accused The Weeknd of what he demanded to redo the show under him, and Levinson in the “Vsliclasty” on the site. "Medusa" tells how the series was created, from which the success of "euphoria" is expected, and why these expectations risk not justifying themselves.

On March 2, The Weeknd, who has just declared the first musician in history, who has 100 million monthly listeners in Spotify, posted an unusual video on social networks. The singer with a smooth haircut hugs the actress Lily-Rose Depp and talks with the star of the series “Shitts Crick” and “Sexual Education” by Dan Levy. They discuss whether it is worth accepting the proposal of Rolling Stone magazine to take a picture for the cover.

"Rolling Stone? Are they too ... irrelevant? " - Wrinkling with displeasure, asks The Weeknd. And then he claims that "no one cares about Rolling Stone." After all, the magazine has six million subscribers on Instagram-“half, probably bots,” and Joslin (that’s the name of the heroine Lily-Rose Depp) 78 million, and all the real ones. So thanks to the Rolling Stone photo shoot, there will be subscribers, but JoSlyn - no.

The Weeknd signed the video as follows: "Rolling Stone, have we upset you?"

It turned out that this is a scene from the series “idol”, in which the Weeknd and Depp are filmed - and that in this way they answered a high -profile investigation of Rolling Stone journalists about this show. The Weeknd post was Retwittering the HBO channel, on which the idol will be released, and the editor -in -chief of Rolling Stone Noah Shakhtman. To the question of The Weeknd, he answered : "Not at all!" Not upset.

What kind of series is this and who worked on it

The Weeknd has already achieved great success in music and is increasingly looking towards the movie. He starred in “Unfilled diamonds” with Adam Sandler, and also wrote and produces a full -length film in which he himself will play a major role. It will also be Jenna Ortega from the series "Wensdei" Tim Berton and Barry Keogan, who played the village fool in the painting "Banshi Inisherin" Martin McDona. There are no other details about the project yet. In addition, in an interview with the same Rolling Stone, the musician said that he loves Korean thrillers .

But The Weeknd promises to become the most loud acting and directorial work to become the “idol”. The series, the news of which appeared in the media back in 2021 , immediately attracted the attention of the public. Lily-Rose Depp-as a pop singer. The Weeknd is not only one of the scriptwriters and producers, but also the main character, the mysterious owner of the club and the leader of the secret cult, reminiscent of a NXIVM with elements of cintology . Among the supporters of the second-plan roles are Jenny from the Korean pop group Blackpink .

Finally, the creator of the Euphoria, the director of the Euphoria, acted as the director, executive producer and co -author of the Yaforia script. Together with him and The Weeknd, Reza Fahim, Los Angeles entrepreneur in the club sphere , who, as Vogue writes , decided to become a writer.

According to the Tizers of the series, it was clear that this is a story about sex, drugs and show business. The idol entered the top of the most anticipated series of autumn of 2022, but then they never waited for him. There is still no specific date for the project output - HBO confirmed that the release will take place in 2023, possibly in June.

Satire became that it was supposed to make fun of

On March 1, Rolling Stone published material with new details about the "idol". The text is based on an interview with 13 anonymous composition actors and participants in the film crew. Many of them admitted that they feel “offended and devastated” due to the fact that in the process of filming the idea of ​​the series has completely changed. The "idol" was supposed to be a satire on the phenomenon of glory in the 21st century, and in the end turned into what he had to laugh at. One of the interlocutors of the publication described the resulting show as "a humiliating and empty love story." The reason for this, writes Rolling Stone, that Sam Levinson rewrote and re -re -re -changing, completely changing the approach of Amy Saymets , a director who originally worked on the series.

But, according to three members of the crew, and before the arrival at the Levinson site, everything went wrong. Seven weeks before the filming of Amy Saymets were half -finished scripts, a tough schedule, and a short time - and HBO unrealistic expectations. From Saymets, who played in parallel in the series “Sweet Tooth: a boy with deer horns” , they wanted to get a new “euphoria” - with expensive mansions, clubs and stadiums as decorations. At the same time, HBO did not plan to go beyond the budget of nine million dollars per series, or about 54 million per season. This is half less than that of the future third season of “euphoria”, which is estimated at at least 110 million dollars. The second season of Euphoria, reports Rolling Stone with reference to data on tax benefits for cinema and television in California, cost $ 97 million. Levinson, while Saymets worked on the "idol", just shot "euphoria" on the neighboring site.

The show, which Saymets was engaged, is described by Rolling Stone sources as "a multi -layer narrative that conveys the idea of ​​the traps of glory and its exploiting nature." Because of this, many actors and members of the film crew, according to them, agreed to participate in the project.

Saymets finalized the text right during the filming. The assistant helped her (Rolling Stone does not call her name), who had never written scripts before (already in January 2023, HBO appointed her as a regular screenwriter). As a result, the text - not only names, but also entire scenes - changed more than 20 times. At the same time, members of the film crew either did not receive a daily schedule, or it changed on the go, and it was impossible to prepare for work.

At the same time, HBO and The Weeknd seemed satisfied with the process. In the spring of 2022, a pause came-according to the interlocutors of Rolling Stone, Saymets was supposed to be engaged in post-production after finishing work on Sweet Tooth, and another director would not have time to shoot. Then everything changed.

At the end of April, HBO reported that the team of the series "agreed on a new creative direction." Then it turned out that Amy Saymets for an unknown reason left the project, shooting 80% of the material. The film crew, according to Rolling Stone, “stunned” this news because Saymets “put its name on the map” and invested maximum forces in the “idol”. Five sources claim that in May 2022, the most part of the team did not return to the shooting.

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More sex scenes and a little Jenny from Blackpink

The Weeknd, as it turned out, was dissatisfied with which direction his show was moving under the leadership of Saymets, and demanded to redo everything. According to the sources of Indiewire, he especially did not like the “female perspective” and the fact that the character Lily-Rose Depp is the central figure, although in the original scenario everything was spinning around it. Since The Weeknd is not only the performer of the main male role, but also one of the creators of the “idol”, he had more power than Saymets. “As if The Weeknd wanted the show to be only about him,” Sam [Levinson] would agree with this, ”the Rolling Stone source notes.

In April 2022, a number of little -known actors were fired from the project, who hoped that the "idol" would become their star hour. But not celebrities - Levinson added them even more: for example, actor Hank Azaria , Moshesi musician Samny and producer Mike Dean, who worked with Kanye West and Lana Del Rey .

Jenny from Blackpink was the most striking “addition”-but, according to the sources of Rolling Stone, her heroine had only three or four replicas per series (“Her work was mostly to sit and look good”). But thanks to the participation of Jenny, the Blackpink fans became interested in the series around the world.

Saymets did not affect the working conditions on the set on the set. They continued to make changes to the script, as a result, the shooting dragged on until September, while the party in honor of their end was held in July. One of the team members says that he slept for two hours and felt “worn out in a hundred different directions” - because no one knew that "they actually shoot and what everyone wanted." The Levinson team, who worked with Saymets, participants in the film crew and the HBO leadership constantly argued. The Weeknd itself, according to the sources, although it is indicated as the screenwriter of the series, practically did not participate in the development of the script.

The main complaint of Rolling Stone’s interlocutors is: “It was a show about a woman who is looking for himself sexually, and turned into a show about a man who is mocking this woman, and she likes it.” Levinson not only added excessive “nudity” to the plot, which sinned in “euphoria”, but also rather controversial moments with violence. In the “idol” there was a black scene in which The Weeknd character beats the heroine of the depp in the face, and she smiles and asks to hit, causing an erection. In another episode, which also does not fall into the final series, the heroine should carry an egg, holding it into the vagina, and not to drop it - otherwise the character The Weeknd will rape her. She manages not to break the egg, but she begins to beg him about sex, because she believes that he will only achieve success.

Meanwhile, the budget of the “idol” increased to $ 75 million - taking into account the superstar of the cast, combi and spill cold beer on the site, this amount does not seem so large. True, at some point they still began to save-for example, The Weeknd allowed to shoot part of the scenes in his Los Angeles mansion.

Will there be a new "euphoria"?

The situation when the almost finished season of the series is taken and resettled, the interlocutors of Rolling Stone are called “egregious”. After that, many are afraid to work with Levinson, who, according to the sources of the publication, felt at the omnipotence site: HBO needs the third season of “euphoria”, so he will do what he wants. Moreover, on the set of the second season of "euphoria" chaos also reigned .

Levinson, The Weeknd, Saymets and her assistant did not respond to Rolling Stone's requests. Lily-Rose Depp called Levinson the “best director” with whom she worked, and stated that during the filming she felt “support” and the value of her “contribution and opinion”. HBO representatives in a commentary to the publication were referring to the same “creative changes” that they appeared in the announcement of Saymets's departure.

On September 2, The Weeknd gave a concert at the Sofi Stadium California Stadium (a concert album was released on March 3). Suddenly, Lily-Rose Depp went on stage, made an expressive speech that she survived the “difficult year”, and said that she has “the opportunity to represent the love of all my life”-a person who spent her “through the darkest clock to the light”, that is, The Weeknd.

“Did Depp mean the ugly legal battle between her father, Johnny Depp, and his ex -wife Amber Hurd? Maybe she was ahead of the tabloids to talk about what they are with The Weeknd in a relationship? Or did the “idol team” used tens of thousands of potential statists on Sofi to remove the scene for their television show? ” - The journalists of Los Angeles Times asked questions.

What the final version will look like and when it comes out, even the crew does not understand. So far, it seems that the article Rolling Stone and the reaction to it The Weeknd attracted more attention to the “idol” than he may deserve. At the same time, the acting abilities of the main role in the scene laid out on Instagram raises questions - like that whether the new series will repeat the success of “euphoria”, which its authors want. And also - how much on the screen time Jenny from Blackpink will have: if not enough, the fans of the group Levinson and HBO will not forgive this.

"Jellyfish"