Delayed projects in Hollywood tend to come with a lot of behind-the-scenes drama, and the hyped-up third season of Big Little Lies is no different.
It’s been six years since the cliffhanger second season left fans begging for more, and the Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman-led show is still only crawling along, thanks to production issues and payday wars.
“There is a power struggle going on, as you’d expect with so many A-listers involved,” an insider tells Woman’s Day.
NICOLE VS REESE
Back in 2023, Nicole, 58, stirred the pot when she prematurely revealed plans for the new season, leaving Reese to deal with questions she didn’t yet have the answers for. “I’ve got Laura [Dern] calling me, and Zoe [Kravitz], and Shailene [Woodley],” Reese said. “They’re all like, ‘Nic said that we’re making Big Little Lies season three?’”
As well as causing tension between Nicole and Reese, 49, a TV insider reveals the announcement hiccup also created some obstacles on the production side of things.
“It’s no secret Nicole has been eating humble pie since blabbing, but by trying to make amends, she’s become way too involved,” the source says. “It’s got a lot of people’s noses out of joint.”
Another crucial BLL person with their nose out of joint is Australian author Liane Moriarty (left), who is writing the sequel the new season will be based on. The only problem is, there’s still no set release date for the novel – and the TV crew are getting impatient to start filming.
“We’re all waiting for the book,” HBO boss Casey Bloys said last year, echoing Reese’s optimistic comment that Liane was “going to be turning in something very soon”.
The news that writer Francesca Sloane would be penning the first episode didn’t help the situation with Liane, either. “Liane wasn’t happy at having so much pressure on her shoulders, when the understanding was it was in her court as to whether or not it would go ahead,” says the source.
Fellow leading ladies Shailene, 33, and Zoe, 36, reunited in New York last week, and talk of the show returning was clearly a hot topic. “Big little lies 3, you ready???” Shailene posted on Instagram.
However, Zoe’s comments that the show was “done” after the death of the show’s “incredible” director Jean-Marc Vallee in 2021 hinted at another hurdle to be overcome. “I can’t imagine going on without him,” she said. “He really was the visionary for that show.”
PAYDAY WARS
Meanwhile, the age-old issue of pay disputes has been one more setback.
“All this drama is combined with a vastly under-reported continuance of the pay cheque wars, with HBO having to negotiate enormous salaries with the ‘Monterey Five’,” says the source.
“Meryl Streep coming back won’t be cheap either.”
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