Andrea Arnold was brought in to direct all seven episodes of “Big Little Lies” Season 2, but she had little to no creative control of the final product, according to a new report.
IndieWire reported Friday that once principal photography on the season had been completed, Jean-Marc Vallee, executive producer and director on Season 1, was brought in to re-edit all of the episodes before air without Arnold’s advance knowledge. According to the report, Arnold wasn’t made aware of the extent the other director’s involvement until it came time for reshoots, which saw Vallee taking a more hands-on role.
In a statement, HBO pushed back on the report, saying the show’s executive producers worked “collaboratively” on the second season, noting that in television, widely considered a writer-producer’s medium, directors rarely have full creative control, especially later in a show’s run.