The Weeknd/Lily-Rose Depp-starring HBO series The Idol finally has a release date. The series, which was heavily criticized for its subject matter and behind-the-scenes chaos in a Rolling Stone report in March, will premiere next month at the Cannes Film Festival and June 4 on HBO and its newly rebranded Max streaming service.
The Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) will also have new music in The Idol; he premiered a song from it, “Double Fantasy,” on Friday during a surprise appearance as part of Metro Boomin’s set.
A new trailer for the show is out this morning (April 17). Per HBO, “after a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited by Tedros (the Weeknd), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”
The Idol also features fellow musicians Jennie of BLACKPINK, Moses Sumney, and Mike Dean. The cast is rounded out by Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son, and Hank Azaria.
The show was co-created by the Weeknd, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim. Some scenes were filmed last September during the Weeknd’s concerts at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
As previously reported, the Weeknd will also star in his first feature role in an as-yet-untitled project directed by Trey Edward Shults, which the pair co-wrote. The movie will feature Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream VI) and Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, The Batman), with a score by the Weeknd in tandem with Daniel Lopatin, who records as OPN and Oneohtrix Point Never.
