Shailene Woodley’s chances at more television glory hit a speed bump. Her next project, Showtime’s Three Women, was canceled on Monday before a single episode aired. The show was a casualty of Paramount Global’s major changes to the premium cable network as it merges with streamer Paramount+.
The first season of Three Women was already completed. Sources told Deadline that producers are already shopping it to other venues. At least one offer for the series is on the table. Showtime also canceled Let the Right One In and American Gigolo.
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Three Women was adapted from Lisa Taddeo’s 2019 novel of the same name. Woodley starred as Gia, who travels across the country to hear stories about a group of women from different backgrounds. Lina is a suburban mother who was raped as a teenager and still struggles with her trauma. Maggie is a 17-year-old high school student who is involved in an affair with her married English teacher. Sloane is a restaurant owner in an open relationship with her husband. DeWanda Wise (Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It) starred as Sloane, while Betty Gilpin (GLOW) played Lina. Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin) played Maggie. Blair Underwood and John Patrick Amedori also starred.
Woodley has not publicly commented on Three Women being canceled at Showtime. She was just interviewed by Porter about the show, which she filmed a short time after she ended her engagement with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The series would have marked her first since Big Little Lies Season 2 aired in 2019 on HBO.
“It was hard to film because I was going through the darkest, hardest time in my life; it was winter in New York, and my personal life was s—y, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months,” Woodley told Porter. “I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character.”
Woodley’s character was inspired by Taddeo, who served as an executive producer. Laura Eason served as showrunner and executive producer, while Shameless star Emmy Rossum was an executive producer. Louise Freidberg directed the first two episodes.
“I found a lot of comfort and inspiration from Lisa, in being more available to my emotions and willing to share them a bit more; I’m still working on it,” Woodley told Porter. “It’s hard if you haven’t been conditioned or raised that way, and it’s almost like I felt I found permission via Lisa/Gia to be more [of] an outwardly emotional creature.”
While Three Women may not see the light of day any time soon, Woodley does have a few movies in the can. She stars in the upcoming thriller Misanthrope, in which she plays a police officer recruited by the FBI to stop a murderer. She also has a part in Michael Mann’s epic biopic Ferrari, which stars Adam Driver as the Italian driver Enzo Ferrari.
