Big Little Lies Season 3 has officially taken its first step into production with a one-day shoot at Warner Bros. Full filming is expected in 2027. Merrin Dungey filmed as Detective Adrienne Quinlan, while the new story will draw from Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Truths. No premiere date is confirmed.
What Is the Latest Big Little Lies Season 3 Update?
Image © 2017 HBO
Variety exclusively reported that Big Little Lies Season 3 technically started production with a one-day shoot on October 29, 2026, at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank’s Ranch Lot. The limited shoot was done to preserve the production’s California tax credit, while full filming is expected to begin in 2027.
Why Did Big Little Lies Season 3 Film for Only One Day?
The limited shoot included Merrin Dungey as Detective Adrienne Quinlan. Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley did not film that day. Deadline reported that HBO was still working around the stars’ busy schedules before a larger production start in 2027.
- Tax-credit reason: The one-day shoot helped the production meet California rules that require principal photography to begin within a set period after tax-credit approval.
- Full production: Full filming is expected in 2027, but no exact start date has been officially announced.
- Cast schedules: HBO president Casey Bloys said, “There are a lot of schedules to line up there,” adding that the network was doing its best to coordinate the stars.
- Director status: No Season 3 director has been publicly named.
- Creative team: Francesca Sloane is writing the first episode and serves as an executive producer with Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and David E. Kelley.
What Will Big Little Lies Season 3 Be About?
The new season is expected to draw from author Liane Moriarty’s sequel book, Big Little Truths. Reese Witherspoon said, “It is in process for sure,” and added, “We are making the TV show based on that book.” The new novel moves Madeline Mackenzie, Celeste Wright, Jane, Bonnie Carlson, and the other women forward by about 10 years.
- Time jump: The kids are now teenagers, which shifts the focus toward parenting teens and changes in the women’s lives.
- Casey Bloys’ view: He said the children are teenagers and noted that raising teens “does get more complicated.”
- Book mystery: Big Little Truths includes a severed finger sent to a high school principal, but that plot has not been confirmed for television.
- Season 2 link: The second season ended with the Monterey Five walking toward a police station over Perry Wright’s death.
- Release status: HBO has not announced a premiere date or trailer for the next chapter.
Final Thoughts
Big Little Lies Season 3 is happening, but full production is still ahead. The follow-up is expected to use Liane Moriarty’s new story and its teenage situation as a foundation. Fans will have to wait for HBO to confirm the full cast, filming schedule, and premiere date.
FAQs
No 2026 release has been announced, and full production is expected in 2027, so HBO has not confirmed when the new season will premiere.
Yes. Nicole Kidman’s daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, made small, uncredited appearances as schoolchildren in Big Little Lies Season 2.
Big Little Lies Season 3 is not available yet, but it is expected to stream on HBO Max after HBO announces its release.
The long wait is partly due to coordinating the busy schedules of stars including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley before full production begins.
Meryl Streep played Perry’s mother, Mary Louise Wright, in Season 2, but her return for Season 3 has not been confirmed.