Taylor Sheridan’s next series is Special Ops: Lioness, starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman. The show, previously titled just Lioness, is inspired by a real-life CIA program featuring an all-women team taking down terrorist organizations from within. Paramount+ released the first photos from the series last week.
Laysla De Oliveira (Locke & Key) stars as Cruz Manuelos, a young Marine who is recruited to join the Lioness Engagement Team. Her mission is to work with station chief Joe (Saldana) and infiltrate a terrorist organization. Kidman plays CIA senior supervisor Katiyln Meade.
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Morgan Freeman also has a key role as Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, while Michael Kelly plays CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield. Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hebert, Jonah Wharton, Stphenaie Nur, and Hannah Love are also members of the main cast. Wagner, Kidman, Saldana, Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone and John Hillcoat serve as executive producers.
Lioness will stream exclusively on Paramount+, which has not announced a release date. Sheridan’s other projects for the streamer include the Yellowstone prequel series 1923 and 1883, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and the upcoming Lawmen: Bass Reeves and Land Man. Scroll on to see photos of the show and learn more about the main characters.
Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman make up two-thirds of the lead triumvirate
Saldana initially passed on the project when Sheridan sent her the pilot script in the middle of the pandemic. “The thought of me committing to a multi-seasonal show was just daunting,” the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 star told Vanity Fair. She was convinced she would fail, but she was tempted. “It was Taylor Sheridan. Nicole Kidman was already attached to produce, and she was going to play a part in it as well. So obviously, that was a dream for me,” she said.
Laysla De Oliveria’s Cruz has to infiltrate a terrorist organization
Saldana eventually said yes. She credited her husband, Marco Perego-Saldana, with pushing her to say yes because she couldn’t forget the pilot script and is a fan of Sheridan’s work. After she agreed, Saldana also signed on as an executive producer. Sheridan kept sending her and Kidman script after script. They “couldn’t believe that we were going to be a part of something this great,” she told Vanity Fair.
Zoe Saldana’s Joe in the field
Kidman’s character is responsible for overseeing CIA operations from Washington. “She’s had a long career in terms of playing politics, but also she’s been in the field,” Kidman told Vanity Fair. “She’s actually running the Lioness program. But she also knows how to be a soldier.” The Oscar winner went on to describe Meade as “very smart” and “very, very suited to the job she does.”
De Oliveira’s Cruz befriends her target’s daughter, played by Stephanie Nur
Lioness could be the breakthrough project for De Oliveira. Cruz’s job gets complicated when she becomes friends with the target’s daughter, but it’s all just part of her plan. Her mission is to get close to the wealthy elite whose money funds terrorist groups. That’s not the world Cruz, who is used to being in the middle of battles, is comfortable with.
Nicole Kidman leads the team from Washington
The three lead characters exist in their own spheres within the CIA, and their goals are not always helpful to one another. Cruz’s background includes an abusive relationship, which influences how she sees Joe. “That abusive relationship becomes a catalyst of her becoming a Marine and completely switching her life around,” De Olveira told Vanity Fair. “So, she doesn’t always respond to Joe in a way that somebody would in her position.”
Meet the other members of the team
The other members of the team are Jill Wagner as Bobby, Thad Luckinbill as Kyle, James Jordan as Two Cups, Jonah Wharton as Tex, and Austin Hébert as Randy.
