'Three Women' Showtime Series Will Star Shailene Woodley

Shailene Woodley is returning to the small screen very soon in the upcoming Showtime drama Three Women. Woodley has a starring role but, ironically, will not be one of the titular women that the show revolves around. Instead, she'll be the person prompting the telling of their stories.

The series is an adaptation of Lisa Taddeo's non-fiction bestseller of the same name and takes a multigenerational approach, focusing on women at different stages in their lives. It revolves around the backlash and scorn they receive for expressing their sexual desires.

As the title indicates, the story follows the lives of three women: Lina, a suburban housewife in a passionless marriage who begins an affair with her high school sweetheart; Sloane, an entrepreneur with a glamorous life whose open marriage is threatened by two sexy strangers; and Maggie, a student who accuses her former English teacher of pursuing a relationship with her when she was 17.

At the center of all three women is Woodley's character, Gia, a writer who encourages them to share their stories and whose life is changed by the course of events to follow. Gia is said to be grieving the loss of her family, which puts her in the complex position of struggling through her personal trauma while providing support to the three subjects of her writing. The series is said to be a "haunting portrayal of female desire" indicating how drastically Gia's writing will impact their lives.

Fans of the book will be thrilled to learn that the adaptation will be penned by Taddeo herself who will also serve as executive producer along with showrunner Laura Eason, Kathy Ciric, and Shameless actress Emmy Rossum. Louise Friedberg will direct and executive produce the first two episodes.

Woodley's role in Three Women will be her third time as a series regular. Her breakout performance in The Secret Life of the American Teenager launched her career and led to her starring role in the HBO drama Big Little Lies. Trauma and grief were central to her Big Little Lies character, so we'll likely see a reprise of her emotional depths.

In a recent statement, Showtime praised the actress and expressed excitement for her performance, saying:

"Shailene Woodley is an undeniable powerhouse who never fails to give an unflinchingly honest performance. We are beyond thrilled that she will be at the forefront of this electrifying show."

We'll see Woodley again this summer, in the upcoming Netflix film The Last Letter From Your Lover, a romantic drama that will be available to stream on August 6.