Looks like Britney is in A24’s The Idol once again

Written by on 25/05/2022

Earlier this year a coterie of stars gathered in Los Angeles to shoot an A24 limited series that promised to be the talk of 2022. It’s called The Idol, and was the brainchild of Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim and The Weeknd, who’s involved in just about every part of the process as its co-creator, co-writer, executive producer and lead actor. 

However it seems some of them will have to reshoot their scenes after HBO has announced it would be making major changes to the creative vision of the show, which will include adjustments to the cast and production crew. As it goes through its makeover, there’s rumours that Britney Spears, who once said she would be on the show before that was shut down by her team, may be once again on board. Get some face gems and glitter on our queen asap. We would like to see it!

The last time Sam Levinson linked up with a musician, said musician was Drake and the result was Euphoria. So with a potential new hit on their hands, here’s everything we know about A24’s The Idol.

What’s the plot of The Idol?

When first announced, the show was about a young female popstar who falls into a relationship with an unruly, enigmatic owner of an LA nightclub… who also happens to be the covert leader of a secret cult (hate when that happens). The plotline was then mixed up a bit, with the club owner character becoming a self-help guru and cult leader instead. The show was to focus on him specifically, exploring his relationship with the female pop star but it seems The Weeknd wasn’t happy with the show’s direction in its current form, feeling it should be even more from his perspective. It’s not clear how the new revisions will effect the narrative of the show.

What is changing under the rewritten script?

The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction,” a HBO spokesperson told Deadline. “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series.” 

Since then, Deadline have shared more details surrounding what exactly would be changing in the show that had reportedly already filmed four or five episodes. Updates, it seems, include not just a shift in the perspective of the show, but they’ve also cut one of the stars and the director completely. Sounds messy!

How many episodes will there be?

While American TV has a habit of stretching out over two dozen episodes, those with short attention spans will be glad to know that The Idol has been reported to be commissioned as a seven-part miniseries. Think We Are Who We Are, The White Lotus and Normal People. Deadline has reported though that the current reworking of the show may lead to a smaller, unspecified episode count.

Who’s in the show’s cast?

We know that The Idol will still be led by Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, who assumed the lead role of the self-help-guru-slash-cult leader. The running order of the announcements suggests that the show’s popstar character is played by Lily Rose-Depp, making her television debut after seven years in film. It’s been confirmed she will remain in the show when it is reshot.

Though the announcement of Suzanna Son — who won critical acclaim for her complex turn as an easily-swayed schoolgirl in A24 and Sean Baker’s latest movie Red Rocket — would be included in the supporting cast had us very excited, Deadline now reports her role in the show has been cut with Son’s team declining to comment.

Popstar Troye Sivan — now segueing back into acting with this and a coming-of-age HIV drama Three Months due later this year — was also cast in an undisclosed role. He’s not the only musician that was in the mix: Tyson Ritter, the once-frontman of The All American Rejects, was cast in a recurring role too. Melanie Liburd, star of This is Us, was also set to have a recurring role, alongside Teen Wolf’s Maya Eshet. And, according to IMDB, we were even going to get a guest appearance from Skate Kitchen and Booksmart star Nico Hiraga. Now though, all of that’s up in the air.

And who’s behind the camera?

Much like The Weeknd’s involvement here, there was a multi-hyphenate team behind the camera too during The Idol’s initial production. His close confidant Reza Fahim took on several roles, as co-creator, co-writer and executive producer. He’s an LA nightlife entrepreneur turned writer, which might suggest that the show could be loosely based on some of his own experience in that world.

The show’s six episodes were all set to be directed by Amy Seimetz, who’s acted in indie films like Upstream Colour and Lean on Pete, and major TV shows like Stranger Things and The Girlfriend Experience. She’s worked behind the camera too, directing several episodes of the latter TV show and Atlanta. However, she has now left the series and as of yet no new director has been announced.

As well as A24, Bron Studios are part of the show’s creation, and so the series shares executive producers with movies like Licorice Pizza, Joker and House of Gucci. More team members — like cinematographers, production designers, make-up artists and (perhaps most importantly) who’s behind the score — are yet to be announced.

Is Britney Spears in The Idol?

Long story short, it’s not entirely clear. Back in November, the same day The Idol was announced, Britney jumped on Instagram and revealed that, since her conservatorship had ended, she’d shot a movie called The Idol. Of course, The Weeknd’s project is a show rather than a movie, but the serendipitous announcement, especially considering the show’s plot, had people thinking Britney, who starred in the 00s movie Crossroads, would be making a return to acting. The rumour was apparently debunked by Britney’s team, who, according to TMZ, claimed she had no plans to return to acting. Maybe her version of The Idol was a homemade project instead?

But then, after it was decided the show would go through a major rewrite and reshoot in the coming months, Britney was filmed hanging out with The Weeknd and Sam Levinson. Does this mean Britney will now in fact be in the show? We’ll have to wait for an official announcement for confirmation but it would be very iconic to see the star back on our screens. Remember that she was nominated for a People’s Choice Award for her cameo as the sweet yet obsessive receptionist Abby in How I Met Your Mother. Britney’s EGOT era is coming, we’re manifesting it.

What’s the release date for The Idol?

Though the show was filming in LA in late January, with Troye Sivan posting selfies from his make-up trailer, the reworking of the cast, crew (and potentially the plot itself) is likely to push the release back a bit. But bearing in mind we’re getting less episodes, it’s possible they could start materialising sooner rather than later. Perhaps, then we can expect to see The Idol in late 2022? Let’s wait and see.

Follow i-D on Instagram and TikTok for more on A24 projects.


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