We haven’t seen the last of Madeline, Celeste, and the rest of Monterey just yet. It’s official: “Big Little Lies” is no longer a limited series — the HBO show is coming back for a second season. Stars and executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman are signed on, and according to Vulture, “most of the cast is expected to return and contract negotiations are underway.” So we’ll likely be seeing more of Jane (Shailene Woodley), Renata (Laura Dern), and Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) as well.
“Big Little Lies” received a lot of positive attention for putting female characters front and center, but every episode of the murder mystery’s first season was written by David E. Kelley and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée — two men. This time around, a woman has been hired to take the helm. Andrea Arnold (“American Honey,” “Transparent”) is signed on to direct the entirety of the seven-episode sophomore season. Kelley will resume writing duties.
“I need to be part of the movement that will, hopefully, change the statistics in my field,” Kidman has said about the dearth of opportunities for women directors. She emphasized that talking about the issue isn’t enough. “Because, to be an advocate, you have to actually put things into action,” the Oscar winner observed.
“Big Little Lies” won eight Emmy Awards this year, including Best Limited Series. The project is based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel of the same name, and centers on three women (Kidman, Witherspoon, and Woodley) involved in a murder that takes place at a trivia night hosted by their children’s school.
“I’m thrilled to be bringing back this talented team of artists,” Witherspoon said in a statement. “It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families and bring more of their stories back to the audience who embraced and championed them. I’m beyond excited to be working with talented and acclaimed director Andrea Arnold who will be at the helm. Andrea’s unique storytelling style will be a welcome addition to the filmmaking team.”
Scheduled to begin production in August, the second season will be based on a story by Moriarty.
