Streep eyed for "The Thursday Murder Club" film?

An article caught my eye today from World of Reel, suggesting that Meryl had been set to star in a Steven Spielberg-directed film adaptation of Richard Osman's novel, The Thursday Murder Club. This was complete news to me, as was the idea that Viola Davis was going to co-star. I didn't immediately think I would blog about because it seemed like such an off-hand possibility. Diving in a little deeper, however, my interest has been piqued. 

First off, the book (now a series of four, with a fifth set for release in 2025) is completely unknown to me. I'm often on the hunt for stories that involve seniors, and I've made several of my own suggestions on novels that portray interesting characters of an age demographic for which Meryl would be suitable. Those are and will continue to be harder and harder to come by. Reading a brief background of the story, it does seem that Meryl would be suitable for one if not two roles. 

Right of the bat I sort of thought "ugh this sounds too much like Only Murders in the Building," much like how I may have rolled my eyes when news of Places,Please came out on the heels of Prom. The novel follows four British seniors in a retirement community ("pensioners") who form a club to solve old murders, only to find someone close by who dies mysteriously. Gasp! Honestly, at this point, I'd just love to have real news of a new project for Meryl. And it does sound like a potentially interesting character. From Penguin Random House description of main character, Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Best is an ex-spy, resident at Cooper Chase Retirement Village and founder of the Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth doesn’t play games, and if her experience in espionage has taught her anything, it’s how to get what she wants. The driving force of the Thursday Murder Club’s antics, Elizabeth spearheads their investigations. Even in her old age, Elizabeth is just as strong and fiery as ever, regularly employing tactics of intimidation and deception to get the info she wants. Despite her tough-as-nails exterior, however, Elizabeth’s vulnerable side comes out in her personal life as she deals with the reality of her husband’s dementia.

So, despite the theme/setting surrounding seniors solving crimes, Meryl's actual character would be very different from that of Loretta in OMITB. Another article from earlier this year had an interview with Osman, where he indicated that filming was postponed due to the actors' strike, but is on schedule to film this August. He was not at liberty to say who was cast or being considered to be cast, but he was previously quoted as joking that Meryl sends him Facebook messages asking to be in a film adaptation of the movie, only to then add that "If Meryl said she wanted to be in it I would not be saying no." Interesting additional fact: Spielberg is no longer set to direct, with Ol Parker taking the reigns instead, who just happened to direct Meryl (albeit very briefly) in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. 

The is widely popular, so having that built-in interest would be a nice boon for the film's potential success. It'll be fun to keep an eye out for this. 

Additions to "Only Murders in the Building" cast

Aside from Meryl presenting Cher with an iHeartRadio Icon Award earlier this week, it's been pretty quiet in Streep world when it comes to actual acting work. Filming for the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building is underway. There has been some buzz about exactly how many episodes Meryl will be in. IMDbPro has her listed as only in episode one as of now, but there are several of the ten episodes where only the three main cast members (Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short) are listed as starring. Certainly there will be other cast members in those episodes, so it's possible that Meryl is in more. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if her role were considerably smaller than in season 3.  

I'm going to go into too much detail on the new cast members being added because I've never heard of any of them. Desmin Borges, Siena Werber, and Lilian Rebelo. Please refer to this link to read more about their backgrounds. 

No word on when the first episode of the new season is set to premiere. Looking like fourth quarter 2024. 

Borges, Werber, Rebelo

Zach Galifianakis joins cast of "Only Murders in the Building"

The cast just keeps growing! Multiple sources are reporting that Zach Galifianakis has joined season 4 of Only Murders in the Building, joining other new additions Kumail Nanjiani, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon. 

No word on the specifics of Galifianakis's role (as has been the case with all other casting updates). Filming is currently underway. I expect we're likely to get a premiere on Hulu sometime late summer, similar to last season.  

Kumail Nanjiani joins cast of "Only Murders in the Building"

As the season's filming gets underway, Kumail Nanjiani is the latest addition to the cast of Only Murders in the Building. Like other casting announcements, little to nothing is being revealed in regard to specific character details. 

Nanjiani was recently seen on Hulu in the limited series Welcome to Chippendales, for which he received an Emmy nomination. 

Eugene Levy joins cast of "Only Murders in the Building"

Multiple sources are reporting that Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek) has joined the cast for season 4 of Only Murders in the Building. Levy joins recent cast additions of Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon, all of them new for this latest season. 

With the number of new cast members, I'm starting to wonder just how big Meryl's role is going to be. I realize that in the last season, in addition to Meryl, there was Paul Rudd, Jesse Williams and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, so maybe all of the members of season 4 will have similarly-sized roles. I still have a feeling that Meryl's part will be smaller that last season, but we'll of course have to wait and see. 

Still no word on when filming will get underway. Levy's role details remain few, as do specifics on the plot for this season. 

Eva Longoria joins cast of "Only Murders in the Building"

Following the news that Meryl is set to return for season 4 of Only Murders in the Building, multiple sources are reporting today that Eva Longoria has also joined the cast. Per the report, Longoria will "appear as a recurring character who becomes integral to the twists and turns of the season’s investigation." No further info on her character was given. 

Molly Shannon was announced as joining the cast earlier this month as well. No word yet on when official filming begins for the new season, but I'm guessing it's soon. 

Streep officially returning for season 4 of "Only Murders in the Building"

Well, we were kind of already expecting this news after the announcement a couple of days ago that Only Murders in the Building was headed to Los Angeles for season four. Multiple sources are reporting today that Meryl will be officially returning for a second season. 20th Television president Karey Burke confirmed the rumor in an interview saying, "Meryl will be returning for a second season because she had a tremendous time." Molly Shannon (love her) was announced yesterday as joining the cast as well, whose character is a high-powered businesswoman. 

No word on exactly how big Meryl's role will be in this season. My guess is that filming is starting very soon (if it hasn't already). Hopefully this leaves the rest of the year available for her to film something new and fabulous! Maybe with how "fun" this project has been for her she'll be a bit more apt to get involved with something a bit heavier and dramatic. Fingers perpetually crossed these days.