The Weeknd has plenty of big things in the works over the coming months, which are sure to please lovers of both his music and acting skills. We've only seen the latter in his cinematic music videos, not to mention the Safdie brother's Uncut Gems, but his discography has been breaking records for years now. His next project finds the Canadian bringing both worlds together in the form of HBO's The Idol, in which he stars as a chilling Hollywood cult leader who targets a young pop princess (played by Lily-Rose Depp) on her rise to fame.
An initial teaser for the Sam Levinson-directed series made its debut last July, and since then, we've been eagerly awaiting a premiere date. The Idol's first screening is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival. Following that, viewers at home will be able to catch the first episode on June 4th at 9 PM ET on HBO (or streaming on Max afterward). The exciting news came today (April 17), along with another preview video of what's to come from The Weeknd and his co-stars.
HBO Unveils The Idol's New Teaser Trailer and Premiere Date
"The sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood," is how HBO is marketing the project. Based on the female lead's sheer separation to achieve fame through any means necessary, it's obvious we'll be getting nothing short of a wild ride as we see the jarring path her new cult-leader friend drags her down. "When was the last, truly f*cking nasty, nasty pop girl?" a man asks seconds into the teaser after we see Depp's character posing for photos in a robe and lingerie. Cue Britney Spears' "Gimme More" and plenty of flashing lights, and we're transported into the lives of the rich and famous, which may not be quite as glamorous as they look.
Many of The Weeknd's supporters are already raving about The Idol online, even after Rolling Stone published an investigation into the show. As Pitchfork notes, the outlet discussed staff changes, altered creative directions, and "sexual torture porn" allegedly in the script but later thrown out. The Toronto native responded to the backlash on Twitter a few weeks ago and has since been busy previewing new music set to accompany his show at Coachella and on Instagram. Listen to the upcoming release for yourself here, and watch The Idol's new teaser trailer above.
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