The Weeknd to star in and co-write HBO’s cult series from Sam Levinson

We all know The Weeknd is a great artist, even if he didn’t receive a single Grammy nomination this year. Anyway, The Weeknd is now trying his hand in the film industry too.

The Weeknd will try his hand at acting with a drama series from Sam Levinson in development at HBO. The premium cabler is developing “The Idol”, which the “Blinding Lights” singer, otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye, would star in, co-write, and executive produce.

The series follows a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic L.A. club owner who is the leader of a secret cult. This would not be the first time The Weeknd has written for television. He wrote and starred in an episode of the cult animated series „American Dad” on TBS in 2020. He also played himself in the critically acclaimed film “Uncut Gems” with Adam Sandler.

Sam Levinson previously created the hit series “Euphoria,” which debuted on HBO in 2019. The show earned multiple Emmy nominations for its first season, including a win for star Zendaya for best actress. A second season is on the way, with two one-hour specials dropping in December and January.

The first and second season that is currently under production both have a Hungarian crew member. Marcell Rév – along with producer/director Sam Levinson – was the DOP on the show’s pilot episode and three subsequent episodes in November 2019. He received the Best Pilot award at the Camerimage International Film Festival.

Rév‘s latest feature film “The Story of My Wife” is at the finish-line – Ildikó Enyedi‘s new movie will be released in July.