Getty Images
Meryl Streep is joining the cast of BIG LITTLE LIES for Season 2, Tracking Board has learned.
The actress, who just received her record-breaking 21st Oscar nomination for Steven Spielberg’s The Post, will play the role of Mary Louise Wright, mother to Alexander Skarsgard’s character Perry. Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers.
Season 2 of the award-winning fan-favorite series was officially announced in December following months of rumor and speculation.
Series stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are officially slated to return to both star and executive produce, while most of the cast – including Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz – are expected to finalize deals to return sooner or later.
Big Little Lies is coming off four Golden Globe wins, for Best Miniseries, Best Actress (Kidman), Best Supporting Actress (Dern) and Best Supporting Actor (Skarsgard).
Andrea Arnold is coming onto the second season to direct all seven episodes, replacing Jean-Marc Vallee, who executive produced and directed the first season.
David E. Kelley is writing and executive producing, as he did on Season 1. Kelley will write all seven scripts partially based on a story by the novel’s author Liane Moriarty, and executive produce; along with executive producers Kidman and Per Saari through Blossom Films, Witherspoon through Hello Sunshine, Bruna Papandrea, Vallée, his producing partner Nathan Ross, Gregg Fienberg and Arnold.
Streep rarely does TV and Big Little Lies will mark her first scripted TV role since 2003’s Angels in America. Most recently, she narrated Netflix’s filmmaking documentary Five Came Back. Of course, being Streep, she was nominated for and then won an Emmy for the performance, for Outstanding Narrator. She has two other Emmys, for Angels in America and 1978 miniseries Holocaust.
She is represented by CAA.
Linda Ge | TV Editor
