Deadline has reported that Big Little Lies season three has found itself writer to start off the new season. Francessca Sloan (Atlanta, Fargo), co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, will be scribing the first episode of season three. She will also executive produce along with series creator David. E. Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal) and stars of the series, Nicole Kidman (Lioness, Babygirl) and Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, The Morning Show). Sloane will be writing the episode under her two-year exclusive deal with HBO.
According to Deadline, Sloan had previously been under contract with Amazon MGM, where she worked with Donald Glover (Atlanta, Community) to create the series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She had previously been set to continue her work on the Amazon series, but it has been on an indefinite hold.
Via Deadline, the third season of Big Little Lies had previously been waiting for Liane Moriarty (Nine Perfect Strangers, The Husbands Secret) to pen her sequel novel. With the novel anticipated to have a 2026 release date, HBO began to look for a new writer. Sloane was not initially involved in the search due to her previous commitments with Amazon MGM.
Deadline has reported that Sloane had been in talks to extend her deal with Amazon MGM, but the current status of Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s finances was reportedly below her previous deal. Her talents were widely sought after around Hollywood, which eventually led to her current role at HBO and in Big Little Lies.
According to Deadline, the news of a possible season three made it outside NDAs after Kidman told the press there would be a third installment back in November 2023. Executive Producer Bruna Papandrea (The Nightingale, Gone Girl) had previously said their enthusiasm behind a possible continuation, but the death of series director Jean-Marc Valle (Dallas Buyers Club,Wild) had caused members of the team to pause. Much of the cast, including Witherspoon, Kidman, Laura Dern (Marriage Story, Jurassic Park, Shailene Woodley (Divergent, The Fault In Our Stars), and Zoë Kravitz (The Batman, Blink Twice) as well as Kelly, had all expressed willingness to return to the California coast drama. Alexander Skarsgård (Succession, True Blood), Adam Scott (Severance, Step Brothers), James Tupper (Joe Dirt, FBI), Jeffrey Nordling (24, I’m Dying Up Here), and Meryl Streep (Don’t Look Up, The Devil Wears Prada) also starred in the series.
Via Deadline, the first two seasons of Big Little Lies have been a massive success for HBO. Its first season was nominated for 16 Emmys, winning eight of them. Valle, Kidman, Skarsgard, and Dern all hoisted a trophy from season one.
Deadline has reported that Sloane won two Emmys for her work on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, including Outstanding Drama Series and Writing in a Drama series. She shared both awards with Glover. The series as a whole was nominated for 16 Emmys.
According to Deadline, Sloane’s previous writing credits include Atlanta, Fargo, and The First. Sloane found her start as a screenwriter working on Veena Sud’s (The Killing, The Stranger) Seven Seconds.