Zendaya and Sam Levinson Are No Longer 'Thick as Thieves'

Those who've been praying for the enlightenment of Zendaya, at least where her collaboration with Sam Levinson is concerned, can now rejoice, according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter. That's right, the Euphoria creator and his leading lady are no longer "thick as thieves." On Wednesday, the outlet published an update on the status of Euphoria season three revealing that Levinson's relationship with Zendaya soured in recent months due in part to the two-year delay in production thanks to The Idol. As Levinson's attention turned to the latter project, Zendaya's "frustration" with the filmmaker mounted—apparently even more so than after that Rolling Stone expose in which 13 sources alleged The Idol had become akin to "sexual torture porn." “She found him to be an inspiring director and she knew she was embodying him,” one source said of Zendaya's early feelings toward taking on Levinson’s character, Rue. But when he failed to deliver scripts for Euphoria‘s third season—scripts that still aren't finalized—she reportedly requested a meeting with network chief, Casey Bloys, and head of drama, Francesca Orsi, to find out why he was so distracted from Euphoria in the first place. Some sources went so far as to suggest she was also upset that her name was getting swept up in the backlash of The Idol. “Her image is pristine,” an unnamed executive told the outlet. “And fans were turning against Sam." Apparently, there was a second meeting at HBO months later, that included Levinson, to discuss creative issues. However, any network execs with expectations of a reconciliation between him and Zendaya weren't met. “They went from being so close, and they couldn’t fix it,” a source claimed. Meanwhile, other sources said Zendaya took issue with Levinson's wife, Ashley, being the only executive producer on the show after Levinson suddenly parted ways with former executive producer, Kevin Turen, after the series' second season. “Sam needs somebody else beside Ashley,” an unnamed talent representative who worked with an unidentified client in the show told the outlet. “He needs a voice of reason, and Kevin was a genius at that.” Disturbingly, Turen died suddenly of a "cardiac event" in November 2023. Levinson and his wife were reportedly "not welcome" to attend. Something tells me we're not seeing a season 3 until its stars are middle-aged...