“Odyssey according to Pornhub.” The decadent series full of sex, pop and cult destroyed Cannes

The new TV miniseries The Idol from Euphoria director Sam Levinson and musician The Weeknd premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to both rave reviews and overwhelming criticism. The controversial series about the birth of a fictional pop star who becomes involved with a sex cult attracted attention long before its premiere due to extensive reshoots. According to the first trailers, it looks like a real ride, where eroticism and decadence are definitely not spared, writes The Independent magazine. Hollywood actor Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp and musician Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye will star.

Set in the world of the music industry, The Idol is a six-part miniseries that follows a self-proclaimed guru and new-age cult leader who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop star. Lily-Rose Depp plays fictional Britney Spears-esque singer Jocelyn, while sex-obsessed cult leader Tedros is portrayed by rapper The Weeknd.

The Idol describes Jocelyn’s journey into the dark corners of a dubious sex cult, which is inspired by the real life events of Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. “Abel came to us with an offer and said something I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I’d just do it’. What he meant was that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere and that’s exactly what he meant. was the seed of the idea for the series The Idol: what happens when a pop star falls in love with the wrong guy and no one says anything,” director and screenwriter Sam Levinson describes the creation of the miniseries for the Indie Wire server.

“I’m going through a catharsis journey right now and I’m getting to a place and a time where I’m going to close The Weeknd chapter. I’m still going to make music, maybe like Abel, maybe like The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd and I’m going to do it,” the musician said The Weeknd saying he wants to be “born again”.

The series is based on frantic editing, brilliant poetry, explosive music and a video clip atmosphere. In addition to the controversial story that revolves around a sex cult, the dark side of show business and popular music, there is also talk of a dramatic behind-the-scenes creation of the series for HBO. Original director Amy Seimetz was fired after shooting around 80 percent of the material. Subsequently, Sam Levinson was invited to the project, who rewrote the script and added almost pornographic scenes during the revisions, writes The Independent.

The miniseries faced extensive obstacles and, according to several crew sources, there was a chaotic atmosphere on the set and the filming of the sex scenes was said to be uncomfortable for the crew members. “We live in an incredibly sexualized world, and especially in the United States, the influence of pornography on the psyche of young people is very strong. It can also be seen in popular and pop music,” Levinson said at a press conference in Cannes, calling it a “revolutionary intervention.” .

“If you have a character who has a strong self-confidence and a strong sexual self, you end up underestimating her. I think we’re in for one of the biggest shows of the summer,” believes the director of the thriller Young Killers or the conversational drama Malcolm and Marie. In addition to Lily-Rose Depp and The Weekend, Eli Roth, Jane Adams or the tragically deceased Anne Heche will also appear here. The main creators are director Sam Levinson, producer and screenwriter Reza Fahimová and musician The Weeknd.

The television miniseries premiered at the French Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with huge interest and subsequently overwhelming reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. On the American review aggregator, The Idol earned just 9 percent and 11 reviews after its Cannes premiere, describing the series as “boring and full of pornography.” The New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan

“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

miniseries The Idol for “Odyssey from the Pornhub Homepage”.

The television miniseries The Idol will premiere on the HBO Max streaming platform on June 10.