The Weeknd’s HBO series The Idol has been officially ordered to series, with Amy Seimetz coming on board to direct all six episodes. The cast, which already includes the Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, has been expanded to include Troye Sivan, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and Anne Heche.
The Idol was co-created by Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Reza Fahim. The series, which has been in development since the summer, will shoot in and around Los Angeles.
HBO describes The Idol as “set against the backdrop of the music industry, centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.”
“When the multi-talented Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson brought us The Idol, it was clear their subversive, revelatory take on the cult of the music industry was unlike anything HBO had ever done before,” Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, said in a statement. “Shortly after, the brilliant duo of Joe Epstein and Amy Seimetz joined forces with the rest of the team, and this dream became a reality.”
The Weeknd previously appeared in 2019’s Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler, and also voiced characters on episodes of American Dad and Robot Chicken, two of his favorite animated TV series. Last year, he spoke to Rolling Stone about his interest in writing for film, noting he had a secretive screenplay in the works.
“This is my first time even opening up to anything, because I had to spend the last decade invested in this project, the Weeknd,” he said. “It really does consume me, so I’ve learned to step away from it a little bit, to miss it a little bit.”
“I just want to be a filmmaker,” the singer added. “I want to make great cinema.”
The Weeknd’s last album, After Hours, dropped last March. He recently joined Post Malone in a music video for their joint track “One Right Now.”