The controversial pop star drama series The Idol has an official release date. On Monday, HBO dropped a new trailer for the series and confirmed a June 4 premiere date. The series will first debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
The show, co-created by San Levinson and the Weeknd, traces the life of pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who is working to reclaim her career “as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America” after a nervous breakdown previously derailed her momentum. She meets Tedros (the Weeknd), a nightclub impresario with a seedy past. “Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?” the logline reads.
In the provocative clip, soundtracked by Britney Spears’ “Gimme More,” Jocelyn works the cameras for photo and video shoots and cuts loose on the dancefloor (and privately) with Tedros.
“He’s really like, unlocked something in me,” Jocelyn says of Tedros. But not everyone is so convinced of their connection. “He’s brainwashed her,” someone warns. The trailer culminates with Jocelyn walking on stage to perform.
The new trailer and premiere date come shortly after Rolling Stone‘s exposé on the various production issues plaguing the series, including allegations of Levinson’s disturbing style that turned the series into “sexual torture porn,” in the midst of eleventh-hour rewrites and constant production timeline changes.
“It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it,” one crew member told Rolling Stone, pointing to the changes Levinson made, which they said chipped away at the show’s original messaging, creating a distorted and jarring story that lost its overall impact.
“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” another production member told Rolling Stone of Levinson’s version of the script after he took over for director Amy Seimetz midway through production. Levinson and Tesfaye did not respond to requests for comment, however, after the story was published, Tesfaye posted a clip from The Idol, writing, “Rolling Stone did we upset you?”
HBO issued a statement in response to the report at the time: “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change. Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew.”
The series also stars Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son, and Hank Azaria.
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