Zendaya Set To Play A ‘Drug Addicted’ Teen in HBO’s Euphoria

Zendaya is set to star in a new TV drama series Euphoria as Rue, a lying drug-addicted teen. It’s about “drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship,” centered on how the death of a teen murdered outside of a club plays out among local high-school students. The show has only been given a pilot order so far, and it is an adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name.

On Tuesday, HBO announced the entire cast of the project. In addition to Zendaya it will feature Maude Apatow, Storm Reid, Brian “Astro” Bradley, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Hunter Schafer, and Sydney Sweeney described by one executive as “Kids meets Trainspotting,” in a world where parents might as well be nonexistent.

The original series premiered in 2012, but HBO only announced the pilot in March. Euphoria was created by Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin and Tmira Yardeni, who also serve as executive producers on the stateside take. A24 is producing, with Ravi Nandan, Kevin Turen, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokadi and Gary Lennon serving as executive producers, as well as Sam Levinson (Wizard of Lies) as the writer, and Augustine Frizzell directing the pilot.

Zendaya began her career appearing as a child model and backup dancer, before gaining her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (2010–2013). In 2013, Zendaya was a contestant on the sixteenth season of the competition series Dancing with the Stars. From 2015 to 2018, she produced and starred as K.C. Cooper on the Disney Channel sitcom K.C. Undercover. She made her film breakthrough in 2017, starring as Michelle “MJ” Jones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming and as Anne Wheeler in the musical drama film The Greatest Showman. Euphoria is just the latest in a growing number of projects for the 21-year-old.