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Big Little Lies
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Stream It Or Skip It: 'Expats' On Prime Video, About Three Expatriate Women In Hong Kong Who Are Torn Apart By A Tragic Event
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Stream It Or Skip It: 'Safe Home' On Hulu, Where A Woman Who Works With Domestic Violence Victims Witnesses A Murder
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Woodley Mode: Shailene Woodley's Career Is Stuck In Limbo As She Tries To Transition Out Of The YA Genre
During his executive session at Summer TCA, President of HBO Programming Casey Bloys took a barrage of questions about the recent allegations that executive producers Jean-Marc Vallée and David E. Kelley wrestled control of Big Little Lies Season 2 away from auteur Andrea Arnold. A recent IndieWire report suggested that Arnold was “devastated” that the final cut of the season was taken away from her and given to Season 1 director Vallée. Bloys told reporters “There’s a lot of misinformation about that subject.” He said there wouldn’t be a second season of Big Little Lies without Andrea Arnold’s directorial eye, and repeated shared that she submitted director’s cuts for each episode. He then added, “But as anyone who works in television knows, the director does not have final creative control.”
Since IndieWire reported that Andrea Arnold was shocked to lose creative control of the second season of Big Little Lies, there has been outrage from fans, who voiced their dismay by calling for HBO to “#ReleasetheArnoldCut.” There have also been questions about the source of this alleged miscommunication between HBO and Arnold, given that her pedigree as an Oscar-winning auteur was used to help promote the second season.
Bloys said the situation was actually “business as usual,” and explained that Jean-Marc Vallée was asked by the entire producing team, including David E. Kelley, Reese Witherspoon, Nathan Ross, and more, to come in and hone the final edit. He said that in television a director’s cut is considered “raw material” for the executive producers to shape and mold.
Bloys was asked if it was possible that since Vallée had “carte blanche” on Season 1 as a co-creator, if Arnold thought she would have the same creative control over the final edit. Bloys said that Vallée “did not have carte blanche” and added that “not promised free rein.” He said that Arnold and Vallée had a dinner together early in the process, and it was clear to Arnold that Vallée would be involved in the final cut. When pressed about the multiple editors attributed to each episode of Big Little Lies Season 2, he said it had to do with Vallée, who is “particular” with how he edits film and who he likes to work with.
Will there be a Big Little Lies Season 3? Bloys said it looked unlikely, but the Deadwood movie taught him to “never say never.” He added that there didn’t seem to be more story to tell, but he was open to it.
One major thing we learned though? There is indeed an “Arnold cut.” RELEASE IT LIKE THE KRAKEN!
