Behind-the-scenes photos of 'The Idol' show what the HBO series could've looked like with a female director

• Behind-the-scenes photos from the early days on the set of HBO's "The Idol" have leaked.
• The images are a purported glimpse into a different version of the drama, before Sam Levinson rewrote and reshot it.
• After Amy Seimetz shot 80% of the show, HBO said the team was moving "in a new creative direction."

Behind-the-scenes photos from the early days of HBO's "The Idol" have leaked, giving audiences a potential glimpse into how the drama may have looked before it was completely overhauled by cocreator Sam Levinson.

On Twitter, the account @thisisnotahmad shared three photos that are presumed to be from the almost-finished version of the show that director Amy Seimetz helmed before cocreator Sam Levinson took over as director.

In the photos, star Lily-Rose Depp can be seen with cast and crew on a set that does not appear in the final cut of the show: a bright pink bedroom filled with memorabilia bearing the face of her character, pop star Jocelyn. 

Dressed in a Hawaiian-print robe to presumably protect her costume between takes, the actor and five other women pose in front of cardboard cut-outs, posters, mugs, cushions, and other items that appear to be Jocelyn-themed merch. 

It's not clear whether the bedroom is meant to be that of a superfan or Jocelyn's own, but the caption read: "amy seimetz's version of the idol was going to include scenes that referenced jocelyn's past as a child star." 

—a (@thisisnotahmad) July 3, 2023

It continued: "one of the biggest flaws in sam levinson's version was that jocelyn being a pop star never felt real or authentic so it would've been nice to see that fleshed out."

Other Twitter users reacted to the post, with one writing: "This literally looks like a completely different show… what a waste of time and money."

Another said: "This works sooo much better. Damn. I really want somebody to do a tell-all on what the heck happened."

"What a missed opportunity to actually make a show with some meaningful message," someone else wrote, while a fourth added: "Release the Seimetz's cut we were ROBBED."

As a Rolling Stone exposé published in March revealed, "The Girlfriend Experience" and "Atlanta" director Seimetz exited the show in April 2022, with approximately 80% of the series completed.

At the time of the shake-up, HBO told Deadline that the team would be moving "in a new creative direction" and would be "adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series."

Levinson took over as director and, per Rolling Stone, scrapped the nearly-finished project — which they approximated had cost around $75 million — to rewrite and reshoot the entire thing.

There was little explanation for the overhaul, except for reports that Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye — who cocreated the show alongside the "Euphoria" creator and his producing partner, Reza Fahim — felt the show had too much of a "female perspective."

"It was like the Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that," said an anonymous crew member, who was one of 13 to speak to Rolling Stone about the production.

Another crew member described the original version of the show as "a dark satire of fame and the fame model" set against the backdrop of a "post-Trump world."

Of the version that Levinson then helmed, they added: "It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing."  

Representatives for Seimetz, Levinson, and HBO did not respond to requests for comment.