No matter how much we all wanted to leave The Idol in 2023, the Sam Levinson series about a sleazy cult leader, Tedros, and his addled pop-star plaything has managed to have pop-culture relevance a whole year after its shoddy debut. Why, you may ask? Well, the series may be one of the reasons for a big spat between Levinson and his Euphoria muse, Zendaya. In a new Hollywood Reporter investigation into Euphoria’s embattled third season, sources said the relationship between the Challengers star and the showrunner fractured as The Idol chaos reigned, leading to the long delay for season three of the teenage soap opera. “They went from being so close, and they couldn’t fix it,” a source told Hollywood Reporter. Some did bat for Levinson. Another source close to him blamed Zendaya, saying, “Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her.”
Once “thick as thieves” and serious creative partners — not only did Zendaya win two Emmys with Euphoria, but she also produced and led the uneven indie film Malcolm & Marie — she reportedly grew frustrated with Levinson’s manic, all-in approach to The Idol that put Euphoria on indefinite pause. (The former was completely reshot after he and star the Weeknd didn’t like the original cut.) According to the report, Zendaya met with head HBO execs Casey Bloys and Francesca Orsi to ask why they would prop up a new HBO series instead of getting Euphoria on track, to no avail. When news broke about The Idol’s alleged toxic workplace and “rape fantasy” story lines, Zendaya was swept up in anti–Sam Levinson backlash that didn’t help the relationship. Plus she didn’t want his wife, Ashley Levinson, to be the only executive producer owing to fears that she wouldn’t be able to temper her husband’s costly impulsiveness. HBO reportedly tried to patch it up over a meeting. Filming for Euphoria’s third season is scheduled for 2025 with the full cast on board and the pair more or less “beginning to thaw.”
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