Our first sneak peek at the hotly-anticipated second season of HBO’s smash hit show Big Little Lies is finally here – and yes, it even includes a glimpse of Meryl Streep.
Today HBO shared this dramatic photo of the show’s stars – Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern – standing side-by-side in a police lineup, wearing the same outfits they wore during the dramatic finale of season 1.
Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dere. (Image: HBO)
So that means we know season 2 will pick up exactly where we left off, where the five fiery females play a hand in the death of Alexander Skarsgard’s abusive character Perry.
According to HBO season two will be an “exploration of the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting.”
“Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode… the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom.”
READ MORE: This is how much the Big Little Lies stars earn per episode.
Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravtitz, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley. (Image: Getty)
While the first season pretty much stuck to the original storyline written by the book’s author Liane Moriarty, the new season will veer off-book and create and entirely new plotline.
The seven new episodes in season 2 will be written by the show’s writer David E. Kelley, “partially based on a story by Liane Moriarty,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world, conceived once again by Liane Moriarty, realized by David Kelley and now in the hands of visionary filmmaker Andrea Arnold,” Kidman said in a statement.
“What a journey this has been. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to keep exploring these female characters and make this series with my friends.”
Kidman and Witherspoon will both act as executive producers, like they did in season 1.
“I’m thrilled to be bringing back this talented team of artists,” Witherspoon said.
“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.
WATCH: Reese Witherspoon behind the scenes on Big Little Lies Season 2
HBO also released a cheeky three second teaser clip, where Meryl Streep, playing the mother-in-law of Nicole Kidman’s character Celeste, demands: “I want to know what happened that night”.
It’s the second glimpse we’ve seen of Meryl in this character, following the release of this promo photo late last year.
Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman in Season 2 of Big Little Lies. (Image: HBO).
Liane Moriarty told Marie Claire she wrote Meryl Streep’s part as the mother-in-law of Kidman’s character Celeste, with the actress specifically in mind.
“I said to the producers, ‘I wrote this for Meryl. Can we get Meryl?'” she said, adding that the show’s producers thought she was crazy at first.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Streep will play Mary Louise Wright, a strong and steely woman concerned for her grandchildren following the death of her beloved son Perry.
When news of Streep’s involvement in Season 2 broke last year, Twitter exploded with pure elation.
“Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep last starred together in THE HOURS but never shared any scenes together. This is gonna be my Superbowl,” one fan penned.
“MERYL STREEP IS GONNA PLAY CELESTE’S MOTHER IN LAW THIS MEANS WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF NICOLE KIDMAN AND MERYL SCENES,” another giddy user declared.
Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep previously worked together in the 2003 film The Hours, which landed nine Academy Award nominations including Nicole’s Best Actress Oscar.
READ MORE: See all the behind the scenes snaps from the Big Little Lies set
Making Meryl’s casing even more exciting is the fact Alexander Skarsgård recently dropped the juiciest of bombs, telling People: “I don’t even know if I’m really dead or not. I feel okay right now but we’ll see.”
HBO haven’t commented on Skarsgård’s claims but what we do know about season two is that it was filmed in March last year and should hit our screens in June.
The first season premiered in 2017 and went onto went on to win eight Emmy Awards, including Best Limited Series or TV Movie, while Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard and Laura Dern all went home with awards for their stunning performances.
READ MORE: Nicole’s awkward encounter with Liane Moriarty
Off the back of the huge success of the show, its stars have reportedly demanded much larger pay cheques for Season 2.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are set to be paid around a cool US $1 million per episode. That’s a fairly impressive pay rise from their reported $250,000 – $350,000 per episode salary in season one.
It’s speculated the pay rise comes off of the back of Apple’s move further into streaming with its own original series. The yet-to-be-named series from Apple will star Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston and see them paid upward of $1.25 million an episode.
On top of their hefty increases, the stars are also said to be receiving points of the show’s back end as well as executive producing fees.
They’re not alone with co-stars Zoe Kravitz reportedly receiving an increase from $380,000 for the entire season to $3 million, while Shailene Woodley who received a total of $1.7 million for Season 1, is said to be expecting a pay rise also.
We reckon they deserve it – and that June cannot come quick enough!
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