Meryl Streep signs on for the second season of HBO’s Big Little Lies

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

SPOILERS for Big Little Lies below. HBO's Big Little Lies, which starred Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley as three mothers whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder, was intended to be a mini-series, but after its popularity exploded and the awards kept coming, the series was renewed for a second season. Exactly where the next installment of Big Little Lies will take us isn't yet known, but the series has scored yet another fantastic addition to its already impressive cast: Meryl Streep.

Hot off of landing her twenty-first Oscar nomination for her work on Steven Spielberg's THE POST, it seems that Meryl Streep will be joining Big Little Lies as Mary Lousie Wright, the mother of Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgård), who, and this is where those SPOILERS come in, didn't make it out of the season alive. Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers. According to Variety, Streep will be making around $800,000 per episode on the series. The first season of Big Little Lies was based upon the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, but the second season will be based, at least partially, on a new story by Moriarty. David E. Kelley, who wrote and executive produced the first season, will once again be tackling all seven episode of the second season, but Andrea Arnold (AMERICAN HONEY) will be taking over from Jean-Marc Vallée (WILD) in the director's chair.

The second season is Big Little Lies is expected to debut on HBO in 2019.