Moving past Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan has successfully crafted another big hit for the streaming platform with Special Ops: Lioness, starring Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña. While it may not be as critically acclaimed as some of his other works, its first episode became the most-watched premiere on Paramount Plus, and its popularity didn’t show any signs of waning throughout its run.
Interestingly, the Eyes Wide Shut star wasn’t initially inclined to star in the Sheridan-led thriller, but the inclusion of franchise queen Zoe Saldaña pushed her to reconsider the offer.
Nicole Kidman Went Against Her Decision to Work With Zoe Saldaña
Special Ops: Lioness witnessed Zoe Saldaña tackling the role of Joe, a supervisor within the U.S. military’s Lioness program, while Nicole Kidman played the Senior Supervisor named Kaitlyn Meade. However, the Oscar-winner wasn’t initially onboard to take the gig as the genre of espionage and action was uncharted territory for her. And while she strongly considered letting the role slide, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to work alongside Zoe Saldaña.
Per CinemaBlend, Kidman said,
“When Zoe signed on to play the lead, I was like, ‘This is great.’ I wasn’t gonna be in it, and then I was like, ‘Well…’ It was too enticing.”
While the show didn’t open to rave reviews from critics, it certainly was a big hit among fans, and following its success, a second season is likely to get greenlit in the foreseeable future.
Nicole Kidman Was Very Satisfied Working With Taylor Sheridan
Despite being initially reluctant to step into unknown territories this late in her career, Nicole Kidman was satisfied working with Taylor Sheridan and enjoyed crossing the boundaries. The Others Star further compared the action thriller to Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed Sicario, where Taylor Sheridan served as the screenwriter for the gritty drama. Speaking with Deadline, She further expressed her fascination for the part Sheridan crafted for her, stating,
“What’s fascinating about a lot of these women, and also people that work in the military, is their ability to handle stress and compartmentalize what they’re doing, and Kaitlyn is the person that can make decisions under duress with no sleep.”
Kidman also served as an executive producer for the show, and apart from her and Saldana, the action thriller also includes Morgan Freeman and witnesses some returning faces from Yellowstone.
All eight episodes of Special Ops: Lioness are available to stream on Paramount Plus.
