This past year has been filled with anticipation for Euphoria, with fans patiently awaiting the show’s highly anticipated second season. To hold us over in the meantime, it seems The Weeknd is teaming up with Euphoria’s creator, Sam Levinson, for a new HBO series ‘The Idol’.
The Canadian singer-songwriter will star in, co-write, and produce the show – which follows a female pop star’s romance with “an enigmatic LA club owner who is the leader of a secret cult.” Levinson and Reza Fahim, The Weeknd’s creative production partner, are both also credited as creators. Otherwise, American writer Joseph Epstein will write, produce, and act as showrunner for the series.
In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, The Weeknd explained his newfound passion for film and television. “I just want to be a filmmaker,” he said. “I want to make great cinema.”
Last year, the singer co-wrote an episode of American Dad where he played himself. In 2019, he made his on-screen debut in directors Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems. In the film, The Weeknd played himself again (this time unanimated) alongside Adam Sandler.
Besides making music, the singer explained he’s been working on a screenplay of his own. “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 explained. “It really does consume me, so I’ve learned to step away from it a little bit, to miss it a little bit.”