HBO has dropped off the final trailer for its Sam Levinson-directed series, The Idol, ahead of its premiere on June 4.
The show stars Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a rising pop star on a mission to reignite her fame after canceling her last tour, and The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) as Tedros, a nightclub owner and cult leader who promises to help Jocelyn elevate her career to unforeseen heights. “You’re the American dream,” Tedros tells Jocelyn in a voiceover. “Rags to riches. Trailers to mansions. You are f*cking Jocelyn.”
Later, a troubled voice, off-screen, says, “He’s brainwashed her,” before Tesfaye’s character appears hauntingly laughing. “You’re not a human being. You’re a star,” he says in the trailer’s closing.
In addition to Depp and Tesfaye, the heavyweight cast includes Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son, and Hank Azaria. Tesfaye is billed as a co-creator of the series, alongside Levinson and Reza Fahim.
The Idol premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week, garnering a five-minute standing ovation from the audience. Following its private debut, however, the series was met with several harsh reviews from critics, with Rolling Stone describing it as “nasty, brutish, much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you’d have anticipated.” The public will have to form their own opinions on the show, once it becomes available for streaming via Max on June 4.
Watch the official trailer for The Idol above.
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