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HBO’s Emmy-winning miniseries “Big Little Lies” is becoming decidedly less mini. The channel has officially given the green light to a sequel to the show after months of rumors that it would happen



Stars and executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have already signed on, as has writer David E. Kelley. As he did the first time out, Kelley is writing all seven episodes of the second season — and in fact has turned in scripts already. The new season will be partly based on a story by Liane Moriarty, author of the novel on which “Big Little Lies” is based.

Andrea Arnold (“American Honey,” “Transparent”) will direct all seven episodes, stepping in for Jean-Mark Vallée. He’ll remain an executive producer.

“I’m excited to announce the return of ‘Big Little Lies,'” HBO Programming president Casey Bloys says in a statement. “David Kelley wrote beautiful scripts and Reese and Nicole were, once again, a force to be reckoned with, reuniting the cast and recruiting the talented Andrea Arnold to direct. We look forward to working with this amazing group of artists.”

Because “Big Little Lies” was conceived as a close-ended miniseries, there were no contract options on the cast for a second season. Negotiations are ongoing with core cast members Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz and others, who are expected back.

“Big Little Lies” won eight Emmy Awards earlier this year, including best limited series; acting honors for Kidman, Dern and Alexander Skarsgard; and a directing award for Vallée.

It averaged 1.17 million viewers and a 0.4 rating among adults 18-49 in its initial airings on HBO, with substantial growth via delayed viewing and streaming.