Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have an allegedly ‘strained relationship’ after he ‘turned his attention to controversial show The Idol’ instead of Euphoria’s hyped third season.
The actress, 27, who plays Rue on the hit HBO show has reportedly been at odds with showrunner Levinson, 39, after he spent more time working on the 2023 series starring Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd while he was occupied with Euphoria’s second season.
An investigation by THR claims Zendaya’s ‘frustration grew’ after Levinson failed to deliver scripts for Euphoria’s third season – which is still yet to begin shooting – and that the actress asked for a meeting with HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi and CEO Casey Bloys.
It was claimed she was ‘demanding to know why the network allowed Levinson to turn his attention to another show — an HBO show, no less — with Euphoria hanging in the balance.’
Zendaya and Levinson had at first been close pals but their alleged rift heightened in March 2023 after Rolling Stone published an article claiming The Idol had had gone ‘disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails’ with a toxic work environment.
Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have an allegedly ‘strained relationship’ after he ‘turned his attention to controversial show The Idol’ instead of Euphoria’s hyped third season – pictured together 2022
The show was regularly criticized by both fans and critics alike for the many gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes peppered throughout the series – and was branded ‘torture porn’
The series – which was canceled after just one season saw Zendaya allegedly the target of fan backlash over the project and the star was said to be upset over it marring her ‘pristine image.’
An executive who has worked with the star said ‘fans were turning against Sam’ and ‘urging Zendaya to distance herself.’
Months later, there was another meeting with Zendaya, Levinson, Bloys and Orsi in an alleged bid for reconciliation – but a source involved with the show said: ‘They went from being so close, and they couldn’t fix it.’
Zendaya also allegedly told HBO executives that she didn’t want Sam’s wife Ashley Levinson to be the sole executive producer on season three – following the sudden death of executive producer Kevin Turen in November 2023 aged just 44.
Sources told THR Ashley is ‘more sharp-elbowed than conciliatory and, above all, fiercely protective of her husband.’
A talent representative with a client in the show said: ‘Sam needs somebody else beside Ashley. He needs a voice of reason, and Kevin was a genius at that.’
The actress, 27, who plays Rue on the hit HBO show has reportedly been at odds with showrunner Levinson, 39, after he spent more time working on the 2023 series starring Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd while he was occupied with Euphoria’s second season
Zendaya and Levinson had at first been close pals but their alleged rift heightened in March 2023 after Rolling Stone published an article claiming The Idol had had gone ‘disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails’ with a toxic work environment
The show was regularly criticized by both fans and critics alike for the many gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes peppered throughout the series – and was branded ‘torture porn’
However a source close to Levinson has put the blame at Zendaya’s door – claiming she was ‘dragging her feet’ over Euphoria due to her burgeoning film career – saying: ‘It was all about her. Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her.’
Other sources claim Sydney Sweeney was eager to return to Euphoria with Levinson in charge while fellow star Jacob Elordi has allegedly been ‘aloof and ambivalent’ about returning but has now signed on for the third season.
Levinson’s alleged first attempt at a storyline for the third season – in which Zendaya would be a private detective – was rejected by Zendaya and HBO.
Her idea that she could play a surrogate mother was also declined.
However HBO sources say relations between Zendaya and Levinson have begun to thaw – ahead of third season filming in January 2025.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Zendaya and HBO for comment .
Representatives for Levinson, Ashley and Zendaya all declined to comment to the publication.
Orsi confirmed Euphoria would return for a third season earlier this month saying in a statement to Variety.
‘I am thrilled that we are ready to begin production on Euphoria in January. We could not be happier with our creative partnership with Sam and this incredible cast,’ she said.
Orsi added: ‘We look forward to bringing this new season of Euphoria’ to life for the fans.’
However a source close to Levinson has put the blame at Zendaya’s door – claiming she was ‘dragging her feet’ over Euphoria due to her burgeoning film career – saying: ‘It was all about her. Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her’ – pictured in Dune: Part Two
Other sources claim Sydney Sweeney was eager to return to Euphoria with Levinson in charge
The future of the show had seemed up in the air for years with many of their core cast reaching superstardom during the drama series’ hiatus since 2022.
Season 3 of the teen drama series will also see Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafer return.
Warner Bros. Discovery executives Bloys and JB Perrette told Variety last month that there would possibly be a time jump in the narrative, with showrunner Sam Levinson currently figuring it out.
The CEO of HBO explained: ‘Sam is working on it. There’s been a lot of back and forth … One of the issues I think that Sam is thinking about is that he doesn’t want to have it in high school anymore. That’s where it was set and what made sense then.
‘So when you take it out of that, there’s a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far in the future to set it and all that stuff. But I think he’s got a take that he’s excited about, and he’s busy writing.’
Back in March it was reported that the third season of the hit series has been delayed due to the schedules of the show’s in-demand cast members.
The scripts for season three are currently being written.
A HBO spokesman told Variety: ‘HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season.
‘In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.’
The first two seasons of showrunner Levinson’s racy series also starred Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, the late Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira and Dominic Fike.
Euphoria’s second season premiered in 2022 to critical and commercial acclaim. It was confirmed that a third season had been greenlit in February 2022 – with HBO announcing last year that the third and final season would air in 2025.
Production on the third season was delayed due to the now-resolved WGA strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Creator Sam Levinson’s and Zendaya’s packed schedules also contributed to the lag.
Zendaya has starred as the drug-addled teen Rue since Euphoria debuted on HBO in 2019.
Jacob Elordi has allegedly been ‘aloof and ambivalent’ about returning but has now signed on for the third season
The first season of the program ran for eight episodes and was followed by a pair of specials released in 2020 and 2021.
Eric Dane, Storm Reid, Colman Domingo, Javon Walton, Austin Abrams and Nika King are also stars of the drama.
In the interim the show’s stars have become huge stars in the movie world. Zendaya has recently starred in the hit film Dune 2 alongside Timothee Chalamet, while Elordi has helmed films Priscilla and Saltburn.
