Nicole Kidman has confirmed the addition of Shailene Woodley to HBO’s Big Little Lies, which also stars Reese Witherspoon.
Kidman announced that the Divergent star is joining HBO limited series at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
Sources told the Hollywood Reporter that Woodley’s deal is near finalized and is is expected to close next week. HBO, however, did not confirm the news.
Shailene Woodley Joins HBO's Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman Drama https://t.co/K4S9BFFfeP pic.twitter.com/KRGqlvtPIz
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 5, 2015
The new drama is based on Liane Moriarty’s book of the same name and is being written by David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, Ally McBeal). After a bidding war with Netflix, HBO landed the project in May.
The drama chronicles the lives of three mothers of kindergartners whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.
Big Little Lies is the biggest television roles for Kidman, Witherspoon and Woodley, as they join the many A-list celebrities who have decided to make the move to TV.
No need for Bollywood to ape Hollywood content, says Nicole Kidman
https://t.co/DnbGo2zFy3 pic.twitter.com/jP5co3oemr
— CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) December 5, 2015
For years, film stars refused to demean themselves by starring in a television series. However, in recent years, those same actors and actresses have made the transition as a way to take on different material with a reduced time commitment while still juggling feature films.
It seems to be a win-win for celebrities and television audiences.