The Weeknd’s drama series The Idol has been given the green light from HBO, with Troye Sivan and seven others joining the cast.
According to Variety, the US network has formally ordered the six-episode series, which The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – stars in and has co-written and executive produced.
Originally announced in June as being in development, The Idol follows a pop singer who enters into a relationship with a cult leader and self-help guru. The series is co-written and executive produced by Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, with all three credited as creators.
In addition to Sivan, Suzanna Son, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Steve Zissis, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga and Anne Heche have joined the series’ cast. Sivan, Son and Zissis will hold regular roles in the show, while the others have recurring roles.
The newly announced cast members join Lily-Rose Depp, who was previously announced for the series. Amy Seimetz has also signed on to direct all six episodes.
“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,” HBO Programming’s executive vice president Francesca Orsi told Variety.
“Shortly after, the brilliant duo of [showrunner] Joe Epstein and Amy Seimetz joined forces with the rest of the team, and this dream became a reality.”
The Weeknd’s last studio album was 2020’s ‘After Hours’. NME gave the album four stars upon its release, writing that Tesfaye’s “most all-encompassing record to date is also an existential quandary”.