There’s certainly a changing of the guard happening at HBO right now. Between the impending end of longtime network cash cow Game of Thrones and the recent AT&T-Time Warner merger, the network finds itself in flux, looking for its next wave of buzzy programming while also facing heavily increased expectations as part of a much larger whole.
To the former point, at least, HBO has picked up another intriguing pilot. The network has ordered the teen drama Euphoria to series, and paired a sizable name with it: Drake. The former Degrassi star will serve as an executive producer on the series, along with his manager Future the Prince, and will put some immediate eyes on one of HBO’s more interesting prospects. After all, Euphoria will also mark A24’s entrance into series programming, after making a name for itself as one of the more exciting film studios working in distribution today.
The teen series (an adaptation of a 2012 Israeli series) has been described by HBO as “Kids meets Trainspotting, and what might exist when parents don’t exist.” Zendaya will lead an ensemble cast largely comprised of young actors, including familiar faces such as Maude Apatow and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time). The series order follows HBO’s greenlighting of a pilot back in March, and we’d hardly be surprised if the bolstered visibility leads to a fast-tracking. Until then, Drake can be found touring in support of his hit release Scorpion and probably being embarrassed on Instagram again before long.
