Based on the bestselling book by Liane Moriarty, Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers [1] is the latest book that's getting the small-screen treatment [2]. The miniseries debuted its trailer during the Oscars [3] on Sunday night, and we're even more intrigued!
"You want to get well? You want to heal? Surrender yourself to me" intones wellness director Masha (Nicole Kidman [4]) in the eerie trailer. The miniseries, like the novel, focuses on a group of nine "perfect strangers" who seemingly meet at a wellness retreat for stressed urban professionals to detox and unwind. As the trailer hints, though, there's a lot more to their lives — and Masha's unconventional methods — than any of them were expecting. The trailer starts out with what looks like a very relaxing getaway: a big resort house, walks in nature, preparing fresh food. But then it takes a turn, and we catch glimpses as things start to unravel, with characters hyperventilating, screaming, and even becoming violent with one another.
Along with Kidman, who stars in her second Moriarty adaptation following Big Little Lies [5], the cast is stacked with serious Hollywood talent. Melissa McCarthy plays Frances, a romance novelist who attends the retreat; her fellow retreat-goers are played by a Hollywood "who's who." Luke Evans plays Lars, a divorce lawyer; Melvin Gregg and Samara Weaving play a wealthy couple obsessed with, respectively, cars and plastic surgery; Bobby Cannavale plays Tony, a former Australian football star; Michael Shannon, Asher Keddie, and Grace Van Patten play Napoleon, Heather, and Zoe, a grieving family; and Regina Hall plays Carmel, a divorced single mother whose husband left her for a younger woman. Manny Jacinto and Tiffany Boone play Yao and Delilah, two devoted employees of Masha's spa who may or may not know the truth of what's really happening.
Kidman and McCarthy also are on board as executive producers, along with series creators David E. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth. Kelley previously worked with Kidman on both The Undoing and Big Little Lies. The show has been in development since 2019 [6], but, along with so many other projects, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Variety, filming was able to happen in Australia [7] in summer 2020, with the whole cast and crew observing strict safety protocols. Kidman then announced the end of filming with an Instagram post in late December [8].
Hulu has yet to announce an official release date for Nine Perfect Strangers, but we hope it will be here soon!