Dan Levy's post-"Schitt's Creek" career just took a wild turn. In a new trailer for The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) and "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson's mysterious HBO cult drama, "The Idol," Levy appears in a short scene where he seems to be some sort of casting director. The exact nature of his role remains a mystery, but the Emmy-winner is excited about his new role.
"My new brand is The Gutters of Hollywood," Levy captioned the trailer on his Instagram. "Thanks in advance for respecting this fun new vibe shift." The news of Levy's casting comes just days after it was announced that the actor would appear in Season 4 of Netflix's "Sex Education."
"The Idol" has taken a tumultuous path to the small screen, and as a result, it still doesn't have an official release date. Even the cast remains in flux, although the latest trailer serves up some clarity about which stars remained after the show went through a creative overhaul in April. In addition to Depp and The Weeknd, the cast also includes Levy, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, Hank Azaria, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Jane Adams, and Korean rapper Jennie Kim (one of the founding members of Blackpink). Troye Sivan, Steve Zissis, and Juliebeth Gonzalez are also set to have roles in the limited series.
"Thanks in advance for respecting this fun new vibe shift."
In a statement, reported by Korean news agency Yonhap on July 19, the Blackpink star said she "found the script very intriguing, so I wanted to be part of the series." She added: "I feel very excited. I'll work hard, so please watch me with affection."
On April 25, Variety reported that director Amy Seimetz has exited "The Idol" amid creative differences. Days following the news, reports said that Suzanna Son would not return to the six-episode project either. HBO did not comment on which other cast and crew members left the production. However, the network did address the new adjustments in a statement.
"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," it said. "The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon."
According to Deadline, The Weeknd was not happy with the show's direction. Sources said he felt the show was leaning too much into a "female perspective" with costar Depp's character rather than his own. Interestingly, the trailer puts Depp front and center, suggesting the story will largely be told through her character's eyes.
Read ahead for more details about "The Idol."
- Additional reporting by Sabienna Bowman.
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