The Idol: What was the series originally supposed to be like with Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd? We have pictures!

He was supposed to be the sulfur sensation of the beginning of this summer, he was not the expected success. After mixed reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, The Idol series had a short but intense run on HBO in the US and Prime Video (via Warner Pass) in France.

The five-episode series, co-created by Sam Levinson (Euphoria), singer Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd, and Reza Fahim, follows the return to the spotlight of Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), a pop star coming out of a depressive phase. Her career is back on track thanks to her new boyfriend, Tedros (The Weeknd), a nightclub owner with a troubled past who lights a fire in her.

From the first released images, the series promised sex, drugs and a rockin’ roll atmosphere. That’s what the trio behind The Idol tried to do when they looked at the harmful effects of the star system and the media pressure a popular singer faces, but also the toxicity of those around him.

Only the stripped-down subject matter – and completely reversed with a surprise ending – is mostly talked about for its tone, which is considered vulgar and nonsensical, with some viewers talking about “torture porn” in relation to the very explicit sex scenes.

What was the first version of The Idol supposed to be like?

Only here, the end result of the series should not initially look like this. While 80% of The Idol was in the box, the series was rewritten and reshot entirely following the departure of director Amy Seimetz due to creative differences.

This is a survey Rolling Stone which revealed a chaotic behind-the-scenes performance of The Idol that quickly turned into an intense and troubled coming-of-age drama. After the end of the series, the first photos of the shoot under the direction of Amy Semitz were released, and you can tell that the atmosphere was very different.

If the above footage looks very teenage, that’s to be expected, as Amy Semitz’s version features Jocelyn’s life as a young pop star and her career as a child star on a teen sitcom. This visual is heavily inspired by the lives of singers from the Disney Channel stable, such as Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus, who exploded with Hannah Montana.

Other behind-the-scenes photos from the first shoot were posted by the parents of young actress Arabella Grant (Flight Attendant Leslie) on her Instagram.

And the message and pictures tell a little more about the story. The girl played Kami, who must have been one of the other child stars alongside Jocelyn In the fictional series “Girls Who Rock” :

“Last year, Arabella had an incredible recurring role on the new HBO series! She was thrilled and had so much fun filming the first season. Unfortunately, the series has undergone major changes, rewrites, and reshoots since filming, and her entire (incredible and talented) TV family is absent. in the new iteration of the show, which is airing now. Her character Cami was a gem!”

Even the photos of Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in the first shoot suggest a completely different story with a more relevant female gaze. With Amy Seimetz gone, Sam Levinson and The Weeknd have taken The Idol and made it a darker, grittier story without revisiting Joseline’s life.

Looking closer, netizens speculated that Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, took inspiration from his personal life to make The Idol a more personal story based on his relationship with singer and comedian Selena. Gomez, as well as former Disney productions.

Fans have pointed out similarities between Selena Gomez and Joseline’s lives, such as their best friends/assistants, their tour being canceled due to mental health issues, their hospital bracelet photo shoot, and more.

There’s no way to say for sure that The Weeknd actually based the new version of The Idol on his former companion, but it’s clear that it has nothing to do with Amy Seimetz’s early runs, which many fans wanted. See the end.

The Idol series is available on Prime Video with Warner Pass.