Fans of the K-Pop girl group Blackpink will be able to see Jennie in The Idol. According to Variety, Kim has been cast in an undisclosed role alongside The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp in the upcoming series.
"I found the script very intriguing, so I wanted to be part of the series," Kim told Korean news agency Yonhap through her agency. "I feel very excited. I'll work hard so please watch me with affection." Kim has been a member of Blackpink since the group began working together in 2016. The group has released the studio albums Blackpink in Your Area and The Album. The group was also the focus of the 2020 Netflix documentary Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, directed by Caroline Suh. Kim released her first solo single "Solo" in 2018. The series will also star the previously announced Abel Tesfaye (also known as The Weeknd) and Depp, as well as Troye Sivan, Debby Ryan, Rachel Senott, Steve Zissis, and Melaine Liburd.
The Idol will focuse on a self-help guru, who is also a cult leader. During the series, the guru develops a relationship with someone who is trying to become a pop idol, and was created by Tesfaye, Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim. As an actor, Tesfaye previously appeared in 2019's Uncut Gems (directed by Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie), an episode of The Simpsons earlier this year, and the American Dad! episode "A Starboy Is Born" in 2020. Tesfaye also co-wrote "A Starboy Is Born" with Joel Hurwitz.
In addition to being co-creator, Levinson also directed The Idol. He previously co-created the series Euphoria, and also wrote and directed 2021's Malcom & Marie and 2018's Assassination Nation. Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Nick Hall, Sara E White, and Bron Studios' Aaron L. Gilbert are excutive producers.
"When the multi-talented Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and Sam Levinson brought us The Idol, it was clear their subversive revelatory take on the cult of the music industry was unlike anything HBO had ever done before," HBO Programming Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi previously said about the series.
No official release date has been announced for when The Idol will premiere on HBO Max. In the meantime, fans can check out the new trailer for the series, which can be found below: