sam levinson He is a director who has always been clear about his style, but has not always found the applause of Hollywood. In general, he likes to focus on youth stories replete with sex, drugs, and self-destructive attitudes like those that marked his own formative years, and it is not uncommon for him to feature women as protagonists in an attempt to subvert the way they are portrayed in these kinds of projects. With Euphoria – 
79% achieved something very impressive that allowed it to create a strong alliance with HBO and that, in turn, served for the company to give the green light to the idola new series that already caused furor, disgust and applause during its time at Cannes 2023.
Keep reading: The Idol: new series from the creator of Euphoria and The Weeknd has been a disaster
In addition to the adolescent series starring an impeccable zendayaLevinson also directed Killer Nation – 68%, a thriller that talks about how society still punishes young women who have control over their own sexuality and who defend it despite social prejudices and witch hunts, literal or not. With this material, it is clear the type of impact that Levinson seeks to generate in the audience, and although the results come to divide the public a lot, in general it is clear that it is a trend that can greatly benefit a brand like HBO, known for saying yes to proposals that others fear.
Actually, the idol It was not Levinson’s original idea, but the singer’s Abel Tesfayeknown until recently as The Weekndwho once told the director that he knew if he could, he could start a cult and be a leader for his loyal fans. Pray Fahim and Levinson himself got on the boat and among the three creators they developed the story that, in theory, would be presented with a feminine and feminist vision that would be in charge of the director Amy Seimetzwho would also help out as an executive producer.
This is where the news and opinions began to turn, as Seimetz was said to have left the project when she found nothing feminist in it, and her departure signaled something concerning for the production that basically had to start from scratch once again. Revelations leaked months ago that the new court, led by Levinson and giving more power to The Weekndcompletely changed the focus making the character of Jocelyn (lily rose depp) something totally different from the initial proposal, and ending up as a sexual object that is constantly abused and comes out naked practically all the time.
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HBO and the rest of the team responded by denying these facts, but the new trailers for the series seem to indicate that, indeed, the guru is given more importance than the protagonist of the story and this is already causing a lot of controversy. Similarly, there was much criticism that the idol made it to Cannes, even if it was out of competition, and now that early reactions to the first two episodes are breaking in, it’s clear this controversy isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Yes, The Idol has the Euphoria vibes you might expect, but it’s really more like someone put Black Swan, Succession, and La Secretaria into a blender and ran it out of control. Get ready for the whole speech…
Yeah, THE IDOL has the EUPHORIA vibes you might expect but it’s really more like somebody put BLACK SWAN, SUCCESSION, and SECRETARY in a blender and let it rip. Prepare yourself for quite the discourse… #cannes
— erickohn (@erickohn) May 22, 2023
The Idol premiere just ended. Sam Levinson fans will not be disappointed.
The Idol premiere just wrapped. Sam Levinson fans won’t be disappointed. pic.twitter.com/lcYoUZs09L
— Tatiana Siegel (@TatianaSiegel27) May 22, 2023
The Idol or 50 Shades of Tesfaye: an odyssey on the Pornhub homepage starring Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weeknd’s greasy rat tail. I love that this helps launch the rebranding of HBO Max, it should be a great fit alongside House Hunters!
“The Idol,” or 50 SHADES OF TESFAYE: A Pornhub-homepage odyssey starring Lily Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weeknd’s greasy rat tail. Love that this will help launch the HBO Max rebrand, should slot nicely next to House Hunters!
—Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 22, 2023
Lots of strong reactions to The Idol since Cannes 2023 ranging from “I hated her” to “The TV version of a clickbait” to “I never need to see Lily-Rose Depp naked again.”
Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol out of #Cannes2023 —ranging from “I hated it” to “the TV version of clickbait” to “I don’t need to see any more of Lily-Rose Depp naked.”
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 22, 2023
According to Varietythe first two chapters have multiple scenes of the protagonist naked, as well as photos of her with bodily fluids on her face that someone wants to use as revenge porn, a quite explicit ice masturbation scene, and a lot of references to sex scandals. the music industry as what happened with Britney Spears years ago. the idol It will premiere on HBO on June 4 and hopes to be a success for the company that spent a lot of money to make the reshoots that completely changed the original idea.
don’t leave without reading: The Idol: The Weeknd assures that he sacrificed his health and his home to film the series
