HBO has officially ordered the Weeknd’s new series The Idol. It was previously announced that the Weeknd would star in the series alongside Lily-Rose Depp, and now HBO has revealed the rest of the cast, which includes Troye Sivan, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Anne Heche, Suzanna Son, Melanie Liburd, Steve Zissis, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, and Nico Hiraga.
The Idol centers on a self-help guru and cult leader who develops a romantic relationship with a burgeoning female pop star. It was co-created with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson as well as Abel Tesfaye’s producing partner Reza Fahim. Joe Epstein has also been added as a co-writer and executive producer, while Amy Seimetz will direct each episode of the series.
“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 of 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.”