Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Streep to team with Spacek for remake of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"?

Hoboy.  This has been quite the week for rumored projects.  First we had Meryl's name mentioned to be joining Angelina Jolie's Africa.  And now, as of last night, Streep's IMDb Pro page has her attached to team with Sissy Spacek in Walter Hill's remake of the cult classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?  Recall almost three years ago when it was announced that Hill was hoping to helm the picture, with most articles happened to list Meryl as one of their top choices for one of the roles.

I have found no other results online that link Meryl to this project.  In fact, I've found no news of the project whatsoever, aside from the updated page on IMDb Pro.  Although Streep and Spacek are listed as "rumored," there are several filmmakers listed in the project's description, including producers, a casting director and writing credits.

This does not seem in any way related to the picture that Ryan Murphy was hoping to make for HBO which was to include Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon depicting a behind-the-scenes look at Joan Crawford and Bette Davis's experience making the original 1962 film. Whether the HBO project was based on the script Best Actress, we may never know.  I can't decide if I'd prefer to see Streep in an original screenplay such as this, which chronicles Davis and Crawford (which I've suggested in the epilogue to my re-imagined filmography), or a reinterpretation of this revered film from the last days of Hollywood's golden age.

As always, time will tell as to whether this (in whichever form) ultimately comes to fruition.  Regardless, the thought of this remake now seems a little less "lame" than I originally considered in mid 2012.

12 comments:

  1. I love Sissy Spacek, but wouldn't it be a treat to see Meryl and Glenn Close in these roles? I'd prefer a behind-the-scenes account of the friction between Davis and Crawford, rather than a remake of an already great film (which was already remade once with the Redgrave sisters).

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    1. Yeah, probably. I can't help but greedily wish that Streep do this feature film with Spacek in their rumored roles, and THEN have Meryl team with Susan Sarandon for the HBO version of the behind-the-scenes look at the original. It's kind of a compelling thought if Streep portrayed Jane in one production and then Blanche in another within a year's time. And Sarandon has such a striking resemblance to Davis that she'd have to be in the role portraying her.

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  2. And now IMDB listing Cruella De Vil???

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    1. Ugh, I know! WHat is going on this week?! I thought Meryl was "taking a break" after Florence Foster Jenkins. Not that I want her to, but when the hell would she even film all these projects. She better do The Good House this fall

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  3. Meryl needs to drop cruella. Baby Jane, master class, senator's wife ....

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    1. Gasp! Drop Master Class?! Well, it's probably not happening regardless so it doesn't matter whether she drops it or it just never gets made. On paper, Baby Jane and Cruella seem like they could be tricky, considering Meryl has a bit of a target on her for being too camp these days. I still like the idea of Senator's Wife due to its social commentary potential.

      Overall I want Meryl doing a lot of things! It would be fantastic for her to do two lead roles a year. More serious ones could offset the sense of being too over the top. The Good House vs Baby Jane, Senator's Wife vs Cruella, for example

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    2. For goodness sake, what is this Cruella nonsense?! And Baby Jane? No thanks. What are these dreadful projects?

      Meryl needs to do Masterclass and The Good House and Florence and then try to get into a play like Glenn has done. She needs to do some more serious work now as a counter-balance. I don't like all these cmp jbs going around right now

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    3. Well, Florence seems like a sure thing, The Good House maybe. Master Class likely died with Nichols. Senator's Wife would be a serious role, throw in Baby Jane or Cruella wouldn't be awful to have somewhere there in the mix, as long as it weren't an awful script/director combo.

      The problem is, right now only Florence seems like a sure thing. Hey, as long as Meryl keeps working. I love when she's in lots of things. No plays. I want to be able to watch her performance whenever and wherever I want!

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    4. I know Jeff, I would likely miss out too if it was in Broadway but having heard about how much she loves the theatre and how she gave it up til her kids were grown I just feel she should make another play for it before she becomes too old for some of the great roles.

      Both Mirren and Close are in big plays atm which will only run about 4 months, still leaving Meryl plenty of time for wider projects...

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    5. You're right, CJames. It would be great if Meryl were able to enjoy a good run in a theater. Hell, maybe it would be a good excuse for me to see her in person. It wouldn't prevent her from doing film most likely.

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    6. I hope she does take a break. I think its important to remember she does have a personal life.

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  4. I Would Prefer Streep and Jessica Lange.
    Even Thought Jane is The Better Character, I Want Jessica Lange in that Role Whilst Streep Would Be The More Stable Blanche Here.
    Also, If This Is Ever done, The Camera Needs to Be Black and White, Colour may take away Something...

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