The Idol follows a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic LA club owner who is the leader of a secret cult. Canadian music star The Weeknd will make his acting debut with a series that he co-created with Sam Levinson of Euphoria fame.
Titled The Idol, the show has been set up at premium American cable network HBO, reported Deadline.
The ‘Blinding Lights’ singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, will star in, co-write and executive produce the series.
The story follows a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic LA club owner who is the leader of a secret cult.
The Weeknd created the series with renowned LA nightlife entrepreneurs Reza Fahim and Levinson, who won a BAFTA for his critically-acclaimed HBO show Euphoria. Joseph Epstein will serve as showrunner and writer on the project.
The Idol will be executive produced by Levinson, Tesfaye, Fahim, Epstein, Ashley Levinson, Kevin Turen, Bron Studios’ Aaron L Gilbert. Mary Laws will write on the series and serve as a co-executive producer.
We’re guessing the enigmatic secret cult leader is Tesfaye, whose general disposition fits the bill. This is not Tesfaye’s first acting gig (he played a memorable part in Uncut Gems), nor is it his first writers’ room (he co-wrote an episode of American Dad last year).
Tesfaye is currently the only star attached to the series, which does not have a release date. Other details, including an episode count, are under wraps.
Sam Levinson previously created the hit series “Euphoria,” which debuted on HBO in 2019. The show earned mutliple Emmy nominations for its first season, including a win for star Zendaya for best actress in a drama. A second season is on the way, with two one-hour specials having dropped in December and January.