HBO’s “The Idol” is officially heading to the 2023 Cannes Film Festival next month. The network finally confirmed the mysterious cult drama’s festival debut on April 13 after IndieWire first reported it on March 16. The series, which comes from “Euphoria“‘s Sam Levinson and The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), was tapped as an out-of-competition selection. It will screen two to three episodes at the event, before, according to IndieWire, premiering on HBO this fall.
The Cannes premiere news comes just weeks after Rolling Stone published an investigation on March 1 into “The Idol”‘s behind-the-scenes drama, in which crew members claimed that the show moved in a disturbing new direction thanks to Levinson.
As a result of the tumultuous path “The Idol” has taken to the small screen, it still doesn’t have an official release Date. Though HBO gave a glimpse at the series — which stars Lily-Rose Depp, Dan Levy, and Blackpink’s Jennie Kim — when it released its third teaser on Oct. 6, 2022. “Los Angeles is where all the monsters of the world come to gather. Trust no one,” The Weeknd’s character says in the clip before he’s shown whispering in Depp’s character’s ear, saying, “Just me.”
In addition to Depp, The Weeknd, Levy, and Kim, the cast also includes Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, Hank Azaria, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Jane Adams.
Not too many other details have been revealed about “The Idol” yet, but in a previous trailer, Levy appears in a short scene where he seems to be some sort of casting director. The exact nature of his role remains a mystery but the Emmy winner has said that he’s excited about his acting gig. “My new brand is The Gutters of Hollywood,” Levy captioned a clip on his Instagram page on Aug. 21, 2022. “Thanks in advance for respecting this fun new vibe shift.”
Kim has also expressed excitement about the show, as, through her agency, she previously said, “I found the script very intriguing, so I wanted to be part of the series,” per a July 19, 2022, report from Korean news outlet Yonhap. “I feel very excited. I’ll work hard, so please watch me with affection.”
Read ahead for everything else we know about “The Idol” so far.
— Additional reporting by Sabienna Bowman and Eden Arielle Gordon.