Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz have closed their deals to return for the second installment of HBO’s Emmy-winning limited series Big Little Lies, all three reprising their roles from Season 1. They’ll be reuniting with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, who were previously confirmed to return, along with new cast member Meryl Streep.
Woodley plays Jane Chapman: While processing Perry’s sudden death, Jane is trying to build a new life for herself and Ziggy. Dern is Renata Klein: The epitome of control, Renata is now faced with new challenges in her marriage. Kravitz plays Bonnie Carlson: Bonnie struggles with Perry’s death and is forced to face demons in her past.
Kidman is Celeste Wright: Reeling from her husband Perry’s death, Celeste is adrift, but determined to fight for her family and find the woman she once was. Witherspoon plays Madeline Martha Mackenzie: Finding that good intentions don’t always yield good consequences, Madeline confronts the truth of Perry’s death, while coming to terms with her own marriage and traditional notions of family. Streep is Mary Louise Wright: Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers.
Per HBO, the subversive, darkly comedic drama Big Little Lies will explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode…the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom.
David E. Kelley will write all seven scripts based on a story by Liane Moriarty, and executive produce; along with executive producers Kidman and Per Saari through Blossom Films, Witherspoon through Hello Sunshine, Bruna Papandrea, Jean-Marc Vallée, Nathan Ross, Gregg Fienberg and Andrea Arnold, who will also direct all seven episodes. Moriarty produces.
The long rumored second installment was officially greenlighted in December with a seven-episode order, matching the length of the first season.
The drumbeat for a second season of Big Little Lies had been growing since the first installment of the adaptation of Moriarty’s novel cleaned up at the Emmys, winning eight in all including Best Limited Series (Witherspoon earned a statuette as an executive producer) and Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for star/exec producer Nicole Kidman. It has since picked up a slew of additional honors, including Golden Globes, AFI Awards, DGA Award for Vallée, a PGA award and SAG wins for Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard, among others.
