‘The Idol’ attempts to rouse Cannes

The median age of the crowds, along the Croisette dropped by about 20 years on Monday night when the Cannes Film Festival held a gala premiere for HBO’s upcoming, rumor-plagued series “The Idol.”

The Idol” has no such connections. Starring Lily-Rose Depp as a troubled pop star and Abel Tesfaye (more commonly known as the Weeknd) as the cult leader who ensnares her, “The Idol” is writer-director Sam Levinson’s follow-up to the hit HBO drama “Euphoria,” with a similar penchant for graphic sex, cute clothes and self-destruction.

In other words, a well naked attempt to bring the TikTok generation back to cinemas with a tantalizing nepo-baby vibe, along with hints of scandal.

In March, Rolling Stone ran an article titled: “‘The Idol’: How HBO’s Next ‘Euphoria’ became Twisted ‘Torture Porn,’” which featured one unnamed source on the production comparing parts of the storyline to a “rape fantasy.” Others alleged that original director Amy Seimetz’s surprising exit was forced because Tesfaye, who is also co-creator, felt the show was leaning too hard into the female perspective.