Nine Perfect Strangers (TV Series) - Wikipedia

Development

On May 1, 2019, it was reported that Hulu had given the production a straight-to-series order. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who developed the series with John-Henry Butterworth, both of whom also served as executive producers along with Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, and Casey Haver. Kelley and Butterworth also served as co-showrunners. Production companies involved with the series are Made Up Stories, Blossom Films, and Endeavor Content.[3] On January 7, 2020, Melissa McCarthy joined the series as an executive producer.[13] On July 29, 2020, it was announced Jonathan Levine was set to direct all eight episodes of the series as well as serve as an executive producer, while Gillian Bohrer joined the series as producer.[14] Yves Bélanger served as cinematographer.[15]

Despite being conceived as a limited series, it was announced in June 2023 that the series was renewed for a second season.[6]

The second season received €10m from the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), which accounted for almost 25% of the €44.8m distributed by the Berlin-based fund in 2023. Furthermore, the production secured the maximum allocation of €7.5 million from Austria's FISA+ program, designed to attract international productions to the country. The second season is being developed as a collaborative effort between the United States, Germany, and Austria, with production led by the US' Fifth Season alongside Germany's Supernix and Austria's Supernix Austria.[16][17][18] In the second season, Masha will lead a fresh ensemble of nine strangers, who seek sanctuary from their hectic lives with a 10-day stay at a resort nestled in the Swiss Alps.[19][20]

Casting

The initial series announcement reported that Nicole Kidman was cast in a lead role.[21] In addition to her executive producing announcement, Melissa McCarthy had also joined the cast in a starring role.[13] On May 27, 2020, Manny Jacinto joined the main cast.[22] In June 2020, Asher Keddie and Luke Evans were cast in starring roles.[23][24] In July 2020, Melvin Gregg, Samara Weaving, Grace Van Patten, Tiffany Boone and Michael Shannon joined the main cast.[4][25][26][27][28] In August 2020, Regina Hall and Bobby Cannavale were cast in starring roles.[29][30] On October 22, 2020, Hal Cumpston joined the cast in a recurring role.[31] On November 19, 2020, Zoe Terakes was cast in a recurring role.[32]

Upon the second season renewal announcement, it was reported that Kidman is set to reprise her role with a new ensemble cast.[6] On December 14, 2023, Liv Ullmann, Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, King Princess, Aras Aydın, and Lucas Englander were cast as series regulars for the second season.[10] On March 21, 2024, Henry Golding, Mark Strong and Lena Olin were reported to join the cast.[11]

Filming

On July 8, 2020, Evans revealed that filming would take place in Australia. All actors were required to quarantine for fourteen days in the city of arrival in Australia, due to regulations imposed by the Australian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, all actors were required to be tested during the quarantine before filming could begin.[33] Principal photography began on August 10, 2020, in Byron Bay, New South Wales.[34] On December 21, 2020, Kidman announced that filming had wrapped.[35]

Kidman met most of the other nine actors right when filming their first scene together, and stayed in character as Masha during production.[36]

Production on the second season took place over six months, from January to June 2024, following the conclusion of the 2023 WGA strike and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[37] Kidman's availability was delayed until after January, as she was committed to a different work during that time.[38] The second season was filmed in various locations, including the Swiss Alps, Munich, and Austria.[18][39][40] On July 20, 2024, Golding confirmed that the second season filming had wrapped. He also said that Kidman occasionally kept the accent even when she was not filming.[40]