Shailene Woodley To Star In ‘Three Women’ Drama Series Greenlighted By Showtime

Nellie Andreeva
·5 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies) is set to star in Three Women, a Showtime hourlong series based on the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller by Lisa Taddeo, who is adapting her book.

<img class=" wp-image-1202654294" src="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?w=1000&quot; alt=" - Credit: Courtesy of J. Waite" width="381" height="215" srcset="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg 1000w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=660,370 660w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=910,511 910w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=250,140 250w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=296,166 296w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=248,139 248w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=200,112 200w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=270,152 270w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=60,34 60w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=352,198 352w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lisa-taddeo-three-women.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px" />Courtesy of J. Waite

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Showtime, which landed the hot book in summer 2019 in a major bidding war with a series commitment, has given the project a straight-to-series order, with filming set to begin in the fall. Three Women is executive produced by Taddeo, showrunner Laura Eason, Kathy Ciric and Emmy Rossum. Louise Friedberg (Y: The Last Man) has signed on to direct the first two episodes, which she will also executive produce.

In Three Women, described as an intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Lina, a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane, a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie, a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher of an inappropriate relationship. Gia (Woodley), a writer grieving the loss of her family, persuades each of these three spectacular “ordinary” women to tell her their stories, and her relationships with them change the course of her life forever.

Gia’s storyline echoes Taddeo’s journey with Three Women, her debut nonfiction book, which tells the true story of three American women who suffered private and/or public backlash for their sexual desires. It took her a decade to research, report and write it, with Taddeo often moving to the towns of her subjects to achieve complete authenticity. The book was published in 2019 by Simon & Schuster.

“Shailene Woodley is an undeniable powerhouse who never fails to give an unflinchingly honest performance,” said Amy Israel, EVP, Scripted Programming, Showtime Networks. “We are beyond thrilled that she will be at the forefront of this electrifying show. Three Women promises to be a riveting and immersive exploration of female desire, told by women in charge of their own narratives. Lisa Taddeo and Laura Eason’s adaptation crackles with emotion and edge and, coupled with Louise Friedberg’s exceptional direction, this Showtime series promises to be everyone’s next obsession.”

This marks the third series regular role for Woodley after her breakout starring turn in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and her Emmy and SAG Award-nominated performance in Big Little Lies. Woodley’s feature credits include The Descendants, for which she won a Film Independent Spirit Award, The Spectacular Now, the Divergent franchise, The Fault in Our Stars, Adrift and Endings, Beginnings. She will soon be seen in the film The Last Letter From Your Lover and the indie thriller Misanthrope, both of which she also produced. Woodley begins production on the film Robots next month. She is repped by Hyperion, Range Media Partners, and Felker Toczek Suddelston Abramson.

Friedberg recently directed the pilot and second episode of Y: The Last Man for FX on Hulu and the first three episodes of Deliver Us for DR (Danish Broadcasting Company). Friedberg is repped by Paradigm and Ragna Nervik Management.

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