It is detailed in a new report from season 3 of Euphoriaanother drama between Zendaya and creator Sam Levinson
A new report details tensions between Zendaya and series creator Sam Levinson, shedding light on the delay of Season 3 of Euphoria. Although it was recently announced that season 3 of Euphoria With filming set to finally begin in January 2025, with several key cast members returning, it seems the troubles aren’t over yet for the teen drama that is HBO’s second-biggest hit behind Game of Thrones.
A detailed report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals the tense relationship between Zendaya and Levinson. While the report focuses primarily on the dissolving friendship between Levinson and late producer Kevin Turen, and what might have sparked their breakup, several paragraphs are dedicated to how the once close and collaborative bond between Levinson and Zendaya has significantly deteriorated.
Zendaya and Levinson’s issues explained in detail
As mentioned in the report, Zendaya became frustrated that Levinson spent so much time on The Idol when I hadn’t finished the scripts for season 3. The situation escalated to the point where Zendaya, who won two Emmys for her performance as Rue Bennett, called a meeting with top HBO executives Casey Bloys and Francesca Orsi and demanded to know why the network allowed Levinson to work on a different HBO show when Euphoria was at stake.
Zendaya’s unhappiness grew even more, according to sources, after March 2023. That’s when Rolling Stone published an article detailing the toxic environment behind the scenes of The Idoland crew members referred to the series as “sexual torture porn”. The report mentions that although Zendaya was not involved with The Idolwas caught up in the backlash and was asked to distance herself from Levinson.
Months later, as the relationship hit a new low, another meeting was called with HBO to help bring about a reconciliation between Zendaya and Levinson and discuss creative plans for the show, which generated more than 16 million viewers per episode during Season 2. Those efforts were unsuccessful. The article went on to specify that Zendaya does not want Levinson’s wife Ashley to be the sole executive producer on Season 3, and sources said she is not the only person involved with the series who feels this way.
There is pushback to this narrative, with one anonymous source saying Zendaya is more focused on her film career after high-profile roles in the franchise. Dune y Challengers. “It was about her. Everyone wanted it to be about Sam, but it was about her,” the source said. Still, the section on Zendaya and Levinson’s relationship concluded with the detail that they are focused on finding the right idea for Season 3 of Euphoriasuggesting that their dynamic is beginning to thaw once again.
