“ Her image is pristine . And fans were turn against Sam . ”
Amid speculation about the future ofEuphoria, we have new reports on an alleged dispute between the show’s two key players,ZendayaandSam Levinson.
It’s been more than two years since the last season ofEuphoriaaired on HBO in early 2022, and in that time, a lot has gone down to raise concerns about whether the show will ever return for itspreviously confirmedthird season.
Despite drawing more than16 million viewersper episode, Season 2 ofEuphoriareceived mixed reviews — with fans calling out everything fromexcessive nuditytobizarre plotlines. Then, after the lacklusterfinale airedon Feb. 27, 2022, the controversy escalated with a report about the allegedly “toxic” environment on set.
Allthe backlashlanded with the show’s creator and sole writer, Sam Levinson. But, by this point, he already had his sights set on his next HBO show:The Idol.
To cut a long story short,The Idol— which Sam co-created alongside Abel Tesfaye (akaThe Weeknd) and Reza Fahim — was a total disaster. StarringLily-Rose Deppas a troubled pop star, the series aired in June 2023 to widespread criticism and wascanceled after only one season.
So, on top of theEuphoriabacklash, the overall failure ofThe Idolleft Sam’s reputation in a bad way. And it sounds like his involvement with the controversial show contributed to the delays to Season 3 ofEuphoria.
In January, Casey Bloys, the Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said fans could expectEuphoriatoreturn to screens in 2025. But, with no word on whether Sam even had a script at the ready, this started to seem unlikely, and by March, HBO confirmed that the third season wasofficially being delayed.
Now, a wide-ranging exposé from theHollywood Reporterclaims that the delay was partly caused by a dispute between Sam and Zendaya, which apparently had much to do withThe Idol.
According to insiders, Zendaya grew even more upset when the Rolling Stone exposé dropped, alleging thatThe Idolhad gone “disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails.”
While Zendaya was allegedly annoyed by Sam’s work onThe Idol, he apparently had concerns about how she was navigating her career. A source close to Sam blamed Z for focusing on her film pursuits, which, since Season 2 ofEuphoriaended, have included roles inDune: Part TwoandChallengers,which were both major hits.
In March,Varietypublished reports that Sam’s ideas for Season 3 — whereby Zendaya’s Rue would work as a private detective — were “immediately” shot down by HBO. In turn, Zendaya pitched an idea for Rue to get sober and become a surrogate mother. However, that didn’t make the cut either.
Fast-forward to now, and insiders claim that Zendaya and Sam’s relationship is beginning to heal and they have the beginnings of an idea that they think will work for Season 3.
You can read the fullHollywood Reporter article here. BuzzFeed has contacted representatives for HBO and Zendaya for comment.
