Meryl Streep will be in season 2 of Big Little Lies - and fans can't hold back their excitement

Days after scoring another Oscar nomination for her role in the political thriller The Post, Meryl Steep is bringing her talents to Golden Globe and Emmy-award winning TV drama Big Little Lies.

HBO announced on Wednesday ( 24 January) that the 68-year-old screen icon was joining the stellar cast which already includes Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz and Shailene Woodley. She joins the show as the mother of Alexander Skarsgard's Perry Wright in season 2.

According to character description, Streep's alter ego will arrive in Monterey after becoming "concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren" following her son's death. She is said to be searching for answers.

Witherspoon, who plays bubbly Madeline Martha Mackenzie, told her 2.1 million Twitter followers that she was thrilled with the casting.

"Beyonce thrilled to have the one, the only, Meryl Streep joining the cast of #BLL for season 2. Get ready for more wine, secrets, and Big Little Lies. Monterey better watch out!!!

She was not the only one excited.

Ben Platt, a Tony award-winning actor, said the news was a significant moment in history.

"Some memories are so visceral, you realize as they happen that they'll be with you forever. I'll always remember where I was when I heard about Meryl Streep joining Big Little Lies," one fan tweeted.

Another wrote: "Meryl Streep is probably going to win a Nobel Prize for Big Little Lies season 2."

Another said: "Meryl Streep is gonna play Nicole Kidman's mother in law in Big Little Lies OHMYGOD."

Fans may recall that Streep earned an Emmy for her leading role in HBO's miniseries adaptation of Angels in America.

HBO says that season 2 of Big Little Lies, which is scheduled to premiere in 2019, will explore the "malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting".