One of the more surprising hits of 2017 wasBig Little Lies. HBO is no stranger to luring big stars to short-investment projects, most notably their original films, but the pay cable giant is at least partially responsible for the current limited series trend after the phenomenal first season ofTrue Detective. Signing huge movie stars to eight or 10-episode stories has now become the norm, and HBO launched yet another high-profile limited series earlier this year withBig Little Lies. While the seven-episode show fully adaptedLiane Moriarty’s book of the same name, starsReese Witherspoon,Nicole KidmanandShailene Woodleyexpressed interest in getting the gang back together for a second season—and now it sounds like that’s very much a possibility.
TV Linewas the first to report that HBO is eyeing a Spring 2018 production start forBig Little LiesSeason 2, with Witherspoon and Kidman clearing their schedules to return. Indeed,Varietyadds that Witherspoon has actually dropped out of starring in the Fox Searchlight space-set filmPale Blue Dot, which hasFargoandLegioncreatorNoah Hawleywriting and directing, so her schedule can be clear forBig Little LiesSeason 2.
AndTHRreports that all that stands in the way of a Season 2 renewal is to find a new director for the series.WildandDallas Buyers ClubfilmmakerJean-Marc Valléedirected every episode of the first season whileDavid E. Kelleywrote every episode, but as reaction toBig Little Liesexploded and the actresses began talking about a potential second season, Vallée maintained that the show would be better off sitting as a one-season thing. The filmmaker eventually changed his tune, but he recently wrapped another high-profile HBO limited series adaptation,Sharp ObjectswithAmy Adams, and may be too busy with post-production on that show to take the helm ofBig Little LiesSeason 2.
As recently as two weeks ago Kelley noted they were “kicking around ideas” and working on scheduling to get everyone back together, so it sounds like he would return to write Season 2 even if Vallée won’t be back. But with the show snagging eight Emmy nominations and dominating the zeitgeist conversation like few shows can nowadays, HBO will no doubt work hard to make this thing happen.
I’ll be curious to see what filmmaker comes aboard and what kind of story they tell. I thoughtBig Little Lieswas one of the best things on TV this year, with tremendous performances and a really fascinating visual approach that made the stories all the more visceral. Vallée’s touch will certainly be missed if he doesn’t return, and I’m of the opinion that a second season has a very strong chance of undoing a lot of the great stuff Season 1 tackled (and also that Ziggy kid is nowYoung Sheldon, so he’s little busy). But hey, I’m probably gonna watch it anyway.
What say you folks? Are you onboard forBig Little LiesSeason 2? Which filmmaker should take the helm? Sound off in the comments below.
