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Euphoria & Jennie fans react to The Idol script rewrites & production mess report, The Weeknd hits back at Rolling Stone & more

Euphoria & Jennie fans react to The Idol script rewrites & production mess report, The Weeknd hits back at Rolling Stone & more

HBO’s plan to capture the Euphoria magic in the Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye starrer series, The Idol, seems to have hit a snag after being labeled as “Torture Porn” in a scathing Rolling Stone piece. Co-creator Sam Levinson has particularly been highlighted for reportedly reshooting the whole season – with his version featuring explicit sexual and physical abuse centered around disturbing sequences between Lily-Rose Depp‘s Jocelyn and Tesfaye’s Tedros.

The Idol series has had Euphoria fans’ interest piqued ever since the teaser clips showcased a racy and enticing adaptation of a pop idol’s life in the music industry. The star-studded cast like BLACKPINK’s Jennie and the titular star Tesfaye and Depp have been the selling point of the show, in fact, The Idol was being positioned to take the Sunday schedule for HBO, in absence of the hit Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon.

Unfortunately, reports detailing a mess involving rewrites and reshoots on The Idol production have scarred the show before its premiere. The series centers over Depp’s Jocelyn as a struggling Pop Idol trying to reclaim her title as the sexiest Pop star in America which kicks off by getting herself into a roller-coaster of a relationship with Tesfaye’s character – Tedros, a LA nightclub owner and cult leader.

Jennie stans call out The Idol creators for reducing her character’s screentime

Some TV fans have resorted to criticizing HBO’s decision to bring Levinson which erased the original plot directed under Amy Seimetz. The Weeknd also faces pushback for allegedly being the driving force behind its changes as the co-creator and shifting the series in a different direction as it leans too much into a “female perspective”. But in the latest follow-up report by TMZ, that claim was dismissed as “he doesn’t feel that way at all”. In addition, TMZ’s story also states that The Weeknd sees Levinsen’s changes as a success although it features edgy elements.

After The Weeknd’s latest mocking response to the Pop Culture magazine through a clip from the series, his fanbase’s support has amplified. But it hasn’t stopped Blackpink stans from sharing their distaste for The Idol since the RS article claims that Jennie’s role has been reduced to “like three or four lines per episode”. Apparently, the rewrites have made her character’s arc insignificant to the larger story.

Many were disappointed to learn Jennie’s debut performance was rather just being used as a marketing push for the series. As one production source told Stone, “Her job was to sit there [and] look pretty, basically.” Readers can check out the reactions below.

HBO for its part has stood by the creators stating creative changes were made in the best interest of “both the production and the cast and crew” while assuring it was a safe and collaborative working environment.

The scrapping of the original version has reportedly led to a loss of over $75 million for HBO, at a time when its parent company is prioritizing cost-cutting to keep business afloat through unprecedented actions like the Batgirl cancellation. The Idol does not have a release date attached yet.

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