Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman's Paramount+ Series Reveals First Look and Official Title

The Paramount+ espionage thriller starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman has an official title, and a new photo featuring the two actors. Previously titled Lioness, the show has added updated its name to Special Ops: Lioness, and comes from Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, the creator behind the smash hit Yellowstone and a long list of other Paramount+ original series, such as the Yellowstone spinoffs 1923 and 1883, Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner, and Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone. Special Ops: Lioness is based on a real-life program that features female undercover operatives.

The first-look photo shows Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman together talking between building columns. Saldaña is the series lead of Special Ops: Lioness and an executive producer, with Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman also serving as an executive producer. They're joined by Laysla De Oliveira and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman. Of course, Saldaña has just wrapped up press for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, filmmaker James Gunn's last movie in his cosmic trilogy. Saldaña has stated how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will most likely be her last Marvel movie as well, retiring from her role as Gamora.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Preview Numbers Are In

Only days ago, projections about the opening weekend numbers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had it underperforming compared to 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, though Thursday night preview numbers confirm that the latest outing scored the best numbers in the series, taking in a reported $17.5 million, per TheWrap. This gives it a slight edge over Vol. 2, which took in $17 million in Thursday night numbers. Despite featuring a rag-tag group of heroes, the Guardians films have all had surprising openings, with the debut film taking in $94.3 million domestically, despite focusing on lesser-known characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently on track to take in anywhere between $110 and $130 million domestically, which would still put it below Vol. 2's opening weekend of $146.5 million. As the weekend progresses, there are several factors that could impact how Vol. 3 performs. 

Working in the film's favor is that it has positive reviews, as it currently sits at 80% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania only earning 47% positive reviews and last year's Thor: Love and Thunder sitting at 63% positive reviews, fans could either be apprehensive about this latest outing or more intrigued by the early praise. 

Special Ops: Lioness also stars series regulars Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur and Hannah Love Lanier with Emmy Award nominee Michael Kelly in a recurring role. The series is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone and John Hillcoat.