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Big Little Lies season 2: Everything you need to know

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

From Digital Spy

Note: contains spoilers for Big Little Lies season 1

We might've been a little concerned that any follow-up to Big Little Lies couldn't possibly live up to spectacular first season, but a second season is most certainly on the way. (And, despite ourselves, we're very, very excited about it.)

Here's everything we know so far about the next chapter of HBO's award-winning series with the most starry cast on television.

Big Little Lies season 2 release date: When will it arrive?

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Big Little Lies resumed shooting from the spring of 2018 until August, with an eye on a 2019 launch, which is actually a bit of a relief – 2018 would definitely be soon for the project. Season two has moved pretty quickly when you consider the fact that, as recently as June last year, it was looking like it would never happen.

"We never planned on it [but] it's possible," writer and executive producer David E Kelley said. "There's a lot of talk and thought being put into it now, but it was not something we planned on. It was conceived as a one-off. In fact, it was a given going into it that it would only be one year because of the acting ensemble we had.

"Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Alex Skarsgård, Shailene Woodley. These are all people with big careers with a lot of projects lined up and they all had just one-year deals."

In fact, they were so doubtful a second series would happen, HBO registered it as a miniseries for Golden Globes consideration, causing a backlash they were required to respond to.

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

"The idea to continue the story came about only after the show aired. None of the cast or filmmakers had holdover contracts. Each deal had to be renegotiated, which is proof that no ongoing series was contemplated. Additionally, no source material beyond Liane Moriarty's novel existed. The accusation that HBO was 'gaming the system' is baseless and undeserved," HBO said in a statement.

Still, despite all of that, HBO moved forward with the idea of a second season, with HBO's programming president Casey Bloys telling reporters in July 2017 that he asked Liane Moriarty - author of the original Big Little Lies novel - to "take a crack" at a potential season two storyline. "I'll be very curious to see what she comes up with," he said.

Nicole Kidman was curious too, saying: "So much of it is trying to stay true to the characters and their voices. If we can do it, then it will be done.

"I believe their stories warrant it and I don't want to abandon them. We don't want to sell them short, either. But I'm hoping we can find it if we take the leap."

But was the idea good enough for the original cast to return?

Big Little Lies season 2 cast: Who will be in it?

Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

... Well, of course it was.

David E. Kelley said in October 2017 that they were doing everything in their power to reunite the original cast.

"We're kicking around ideas and trying to lasso the talent [and] get the band back together," the writer said. "It's just a lot of logistical things. But I'm optimistic because everyone wants to do it. We feel we still have storytelling to do. No decision has been made yet, but we're hopeful. Where we left it, I felt like it did open the opportunity for a lot more storytelling."

Luckily, Kelley and HBO were successful. (Along with the quality of the scripts, the $1m per episode they're rumoured to be pocketing probably didn't hurt.)

"I'm excited to announce the return of Big Little Lies," HBO programming president Casey Bloys said in a statement. "[Writer] David Kelley wrote beautiful scripts and Reese and Nicole were, once again, a force to be reckoned with, reuniting the cast and recruiting the talented Andrea Arnold to direct.

"We look forward to working with this amazing group of artists."

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Shailene Woodley's name was missing from the original announcement, but she officially signed up for season two in February 2018.

Woodley had previously made clear her desire to continue with the character, speaking with Marie Claire about where she'd like to see Jane Chapman end up after surviving sexual abuse at the hands of the now-deceased Perry.

"I think it would be interesting to explore the psychological trauma [Jane] is undergoing post seeing him," she explained.

"I think there's an assumption that these things are quick to heal once you begin therapy or once you have that closure. But these are lifelong pains that you're constantly working through."

Laura Dern (Renata), Zoë Kravitz (Bonnie), Adam Scott (Ed), James Tupper (Nathan), Jeffrey Nordling (Gordon) and Iain Armitage (Ziggy) will also all be back for season 2.

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

One surprising potential returnee is Alexander Skarsgård. During the season one finale, we found out that Skarsgård's domestic abuser Perry Wright was the one who was killed at the party after being pushed down a flight of stairs by Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz).

While he looked pretty dead to us as he lied on the stairs covered in blood, it looks like Perry could make a return in season two... and not just in flashbacks.

According to TVLine, Skarsgård is expected to return to the show for the next batch of episodes. The star had previously that his character might not be dead, telling People: "I don't even know if I'm really dead or not. I feel okay right now but we'll see."

The first new addition to the ensemble was announced in January 2018, with actual Meryl Streep signing up for season two, joining an already pretty damn starry cast.

She revealed her first on set picture in an Instagram post on April 5.

Meryl will be playing Celeste Wright's (Kidman) mother-in-law Mary Louise Wright - who is looking for answers following her son Perry's (apparent) demise in the first season.

One person who definitely won't be coming back from the original line-up is the first season's director Jean-Marc Vallée. "We are so deeply grateful to Jean-Marc Vallée – his vision and his artistry... he put his heart and soul into this," Reese Witherspoon said.

She went on to explain that "unfortunately, he was busy" when they started planning season 2, adding: "We did try to accommodate him, but we did want to get the season started soon, because I think the people want it soon."

Happily, it means season two can be delivered by a female director, one of the very best in the business.

Big Little Lies' second season will be directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold. Her impressive CV includes the 2011 film version of Wuthering Heights and two of Amazon's critically-acclaimed hits, I Love Dick and Transparent. (She also used to host kids' show Number 73 with Sandi Toksvig and Neil Buchanan.)

"We're just thrilled to welcome her to our family," Witherspoon said. "And we're just thrilled we get to do this again together."

Big Little Lies season 2 plot: What will it be about?

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Here's the official synopsis for season two: "The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series is a subversive, darkly comedic drama, which will continue to explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting.

"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, who received both an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance, 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."

Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty has also been talking about her ideas for the project. "I have started to think about ways this could continue," she revealed. "The producers have asked me to see if I can come up with some ideas. I wouldn't write a new book but perhaps a new story and then we'll see what happens.

"I'm absolutely open to it because, once I started thinking, it was too much fun to see what I could do and to see these characters again. And there's definitely places you can go."

"The obvious thing is, first of all, I think we could bring in more of Bonnie's story from the book," the writer explained.

"And also what happens next [for Celeste]. That's the question that's also a really interesting thing, when you've been through a relationship like that, how do you feel now? How would she feel?

"She's grieving. She's still grieving for the end of a terrible relationship and I think that would be a really interesting thing to explore. So there's a whole lot of different storylines."

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

And, as Nicole Kidman herself said, the show's more timely than ever, in the wake of the ongoing Hollywood abuse scandal, so we'd expect deeper explorations of those key themes.

"Obviously, playing Celeste in Big Little Lies was a particular look at that, abuse and domestic abuse," Kidman said. "There's been a huge unravelling this year. We're in a position now to elicit change. We can all do it together."

She continued: "I think it's so important right now that we're all together, and that we're helping each other, and that we can really make change happen, make this place a safer world for all of us, actually, and redefine how we look at the use of power, and what abuse is.

"We couldn't believe the way in which people connected to Big Little Lies, but particularly to the storyline of Celeste and the abuse.

"Being involved now in helping to change things so that this generation, next generation, won't be dealing with things that have been happening like this."

Big Little Lies season 2 trailer: When can we see it?

A full length trailer isn't on the table at the moment, but HBO did give fans a sneak peek of what to expect during a trailer for their explosive 2019 TV schedule, and it looks juicy.

We're so ready.

Bookmark this page for all the latest Big Little Lies season two news, as we'll be updating it ahead of the show's 2019 broadcast.


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