Woodley, Dern, and Kravitz are Officially Returning to Big Little Lies

HBO announced today that Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz will be reprising their roles on the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series, Big Little Lies.

Woodley, Dern, and Kravitz signed new deals to return to the show since the first season was meant to be a closed-ended limited run. The new contracts are said to have come with sizable raises as well.

Woodley’s character Jane Chapman will be processing Perry’s sudden death in the storyline, while trying to build a new life for herself and her son, Ziggy. Dern will be reprising her role as Renata Klein, a woman who will be faced with new challenges in her marriage. Bonnie Carlson, Zoë Kravitz’s character, will confront her past while struggling to come to terms with Perry’s death.

Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman were already set to return as both stars and executive producers of the show. The leading ladies are being joined by three-time Oscar-winner and 21-time nominee Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady, The Post), who was announced last month as being cast in the role of Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgård’s Perry Wright. Mary arrives in Monterey concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following the events of the first season.

Writer and showrunner David E. Kelley will write all seven episodes (just like the first season) which are partially based on the book by Liane Moriarty. He will executive produce alongside Kidman and her Blossom Films topper Per Saari, with Witherspoon executive producing through Hello Sunshines Banner. Bruna Papandrea, Jean-Marc Vallée, Nathan Ross, and Gregg Fienberg will also executive produce.

Director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club), who shot all the episodes in Season 1, will not direct this coming season. Andrea Arnold (Transparent, American Honey) will take the helm for Season 2, as well as serving as an executive producer.

The first season of Big Little Lies took home eight Primetime Emmy’s, including statues for Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård, Laura Dern, Jean-Marc Vallée, and Outstanding Limited Series. The series also won four Golden Globes, including Best Television Limited Series.

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