HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Just Ousted Its Director
The Weeknd‘s forthcoming HBO show The Idol isn’t exactly panning out as expected. Back in the summer of 2021, HBO announced that they had pegged the Grammy Award winner to bring the series to life. According to the logline, the series follows a female pop singer who begins a romantic relationship with a club owner in Los Angeles. However, the club owner also leads a secret cult.
The Weeknd, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye, serves as co-writer and executive producer on The Idol. However, HBO just ousted the director Amy Seimetz for a new creative direction.
HBO has ordered a full season of The Weeknd’s ‘The Idol’
In June 2021, HBO announced that they were working on bringing The Idol to the small-screen. It was described as “set against the backdrop of the music industry, The Idol 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.”
Along with The Weeknd, Lily Rose-Depp, Yroye Sivan, Suzanna Son, and Steve Zissis were announced as series regulars on the show with Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga, and Anne Heche in recurring roles.
However, upon previewing what has been done thus far, it doesn’t appear that HBO is thrilled.
Amy Seimetz will no longer be directing HBO’s ‘The Idol’
There had been significant excitement about The Idol for some time. However, it looks like HBO will overhaul the series completely. Variety reports that the six-episode series will undergo major cast and crew changes and some extensive reshoots. One of the most significant changes is that Seimetz will no longer be directing though she was meant to direct every episode.
“The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show, and they have aligned on a new creative direction,” HBO said in a statement. “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon.”
HBO has not commented on Seimetz leaving the show, but Variety reports The Idol co-creator and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson will likely take over the role. However, fans expressed concern about the direction of the series now that it’s no longer female-directed.
Some fans are even saying they won’t watch the series without Seimetz’s involvement.
‘The Idol’ premiere date will likely be delayed
This isn’t the first time a network, or even HBO specifically, has stepped in to overhaul and rework a show completely. Game of Thrones fans know that the pilot we saw on TV was not the one that was initially shot. However, it’s always unfortunate when these things happen and members of the cast and crew are no longer able to participate or lose their jobs entirely.
Though it’s likely that The Idol will now have a much later release date than expected, we hope that the series that does eventually air on HBO is something that both the creators are proud of and viewers love.
