Almost a year ago, a beaming Nicole Kidman told a red carpet reporter that “Big Little Lies” season three is happening. She added, “There’s a timeline, and we’re doing it.” Reese Witherspoon was quoted at the same time as saying, “We’re working on it. Nic and I are working on it a lot.” Little has been heard from HBO about a new season of their seminal Northern California drama, until today at least.
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Speaking to a theater of assembled Los Angeles-based media, Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO and Max Content, confirmed that Kidman’s comments were not wishful thinking.
“She wasn’t getting [of herself], she’s very excited,” Bloys says. “They’re all excited. We’re excited. We’re all waiting for the book. We all need to read the book, which I believe is coming soon, but I do not have a copy in my hands.”The book Bloys refers to is a sequel novel from Liane Moriarty. The Aussie author confirmed a new installment earlier this fall while promoting her latest tome, “Here One Moment.” Moriarty didn’t say how far into a new “Big Little Lies” tale she was, nor did she provide any sort of timeline. The fact that Bloys didn’t dismiss the question out of hand or put a long timeframe on it (as he did with other projects) may mean it could be sooner rather than later.
The original “Big Little Lies” was based on Moriarty’s original 2014 novel and aired as a limited series in 2017. Directed by Jean-Marc Valle and written by David E. Kelly, the program was a cultural tipping point, taking eight Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series and trophies for Kidman and Laura Dern. Two years later, a second ongoing series season helmed by Andrea Arnold earned five Emmy nominations for Dern and Meryl Streep.
At the end of season 2, the ensemble cast included Witherspoon, Kidman, Dern, Streep, Shailene Woodley, Adam Scott, and Kathryn Newton, among others.