Thursday, March 29, 2018

Meryl as Princess Leia?

Apparently there is a petition online for Meryl to be considered for a recasting of Carrie Fisher's iconic role as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX. Shooting is expected to start this summer with J.J. Abrams directing. 

This is of course a huge rumor, but it got me thinking.  First of all, at initial reaction I don't think it's a good idea. Not that I'm a rabid fan of Star Wars, but I think it would be super weird to all of a sudden see the character of Leia as anyone else, much less someone as equally iconic as Meryl Streep.  Some things are sacred.  I also happen to think that Meryl wouldn't want to touch this role with a ten foot pole, as it may be impossible to ever match the expectations of what this historic character has meant to countless people.  Not unless Streep were really desperate for work would I expect her to be up for this. 

That said, Fisher was a good friend of her's, dating back to when Meryl starred in the semi-autobiographical adaptation of Fisher's book Postcards from the Edge in 1990 (which of course earned Streep an Oscar nomination).  Also, with Meryl's recent teaming with Abrams on the potential of bringing Nathan Hill's novel The Nix to the small screen, it's possible that it's crossed his mind, were it ultimately decided that they wanted to recast the role for the final installment.

Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for a December, 2019 release. I doubt Meryl will be in it.  But could you imagine the attention it would bring?

Saturday, March 24, 2018

The next five years

With filming underway for season 2 of Big Little Lies, I thought I'd do one of my favorite things and post about my wishes/predictions/expectations for Meryl's upcoming filming schedule. Let's jump right in.

We already know that 2018 will bring us two feature films involving Meryl in likely rather small roles: Mama Mia! Here We Go Again July and Mary Poppins Returns in December. It's interesting that both roles are in sequels, something I don't think Meryl has ever done before, nor had I expected her to. But they're not the traditional "this film was good so let's make sure we immediately bank on the first film's success," as Mama Mia! is ten years later, and Mary Poppins over fifty. Big Little Lies is likely to release to HBO first quarter 2019, which leaves us to speculate about what roles will be in her near future.

The only other realistic possibility that has already been announced is the limited series The Nix. Nathan Hill's novel has reportedly been adapted into about nine episodes for television, but it has yet to land a distributor.  Maybe we'll see that come to fruition for filming this summer or early fall, but if J.J. Abrams is expected to direct any of the episodes, he likely won't be available until 2019, as this year he'll be busy on some obscure little indie pic called Star Wars. 

Let's say The Nix does eventually happen but that its filming is postponed to spring/summer 2019. That would likely mean a 2020 release.  Not a bad idea considering its a politically charged story and that will be an election year that is certain to have tensions running high. Call me obsessed, but I've also been thinking lately about how great it would be to see The Good House filmed for television in a limited series a la 2014's Olive Kitteridge on HBO, starring Frances McDormand. It would provide a more thorough delving into the lush character of Hildy Good, without the constraints of the two hour package typically required for film. The story would work nicely as four episodes and if were somehow already planned, could be ripe for filming this fall.

I would expect that a limited series for The Good House would release on television fourth quarter 2019, again like Olive Kitteridge. That brings us to 2019. I've previously posted how great it would be to see Meryl star in Nyad, as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad as she battles to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark tank. A summer/fall shooting schedule would be adequate for a summer 2020 release. A handful of Streep films have done very well in that August time slot, which, in 2020 would coincide with the summer Olympics. What better marketing tool to have for an inspirational story about a competitive swimmer?

The following two years could be relatively conventional. A lead role in a Greta Gerwig vehicle for a 2021 release, followed by a sure to be mind-blowing pairing with Jessica Lange as Edith Windsor and Streep as her wife, Thea Spyer.

The whole schedule could look something like this:

2018
Mama Mia! Here We Go Again (July)
Mary Poppins Returns (December)

2019
Big Little Lies (~February)--TV
The Good House (~November)--TV

2020
The Nix (~May)--TV
Nyad (August)

2021
Greta Gerwig project

2022
Edith Windsor/Thea Spyer biopic with Jessica Lange

The proposed timeline would be a delightful combination of lead and supporting roles on television and in film, of biopics, literary adaptations and original stories.

Why not, right?

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Domestic box office for "The Post" tops out

After this weekend, we'll likely have our rough final numbers for the domestic box office haul for "The Post."  It's currently only in 159 theaters across the U.S., so the returns are diminishing significantly. Couple that with the fact that it didn't get much of a boost after the Oscars, as it was completely absent from the winners' list, and it's pretty easy to see where it will end up.  As this goes to post, the film has grossed $81 million on a $50m budget.  Not too shabby for a political drama with no special effects. In foreign markets it has taken in another $73m, bringing its worldwide total past $154m. It's just starting to get released in Asia, so I expect that foreign number to bounce a bit before all is said and done.

I'm not super concerned typically with major box office success just for the sake of it, but I enjoy when Meryl's films do well commercially because it means it's far more likely for projects she'd be interested in doing to get greenlit. The film will be available on digital media on April 4, with its DVD/Blu-ray release date set for April 17.


Saturday, March 10, 2018

Filming begins next week on season 2 of "Big Little Lies"

Reese Witherspoon, who of course stars in and executive produces Bit Little Lies, has revealed that filming will start next Friday on season 2. To be perfectly clear, she states that they're "starting" next Friday, so I'm not exactly sure if that truly means principal photography, or just officially showing up for work and doing table reads or something. Regardless, it's exciting to know that things will be underway soon.

This news also tells me that the timing of the project means Meryl's fall should be completely open (at least in regard to filming anything), so maybe we can look forward to something being announced. Seems like the perfect opportunity to sign on for a lead film role that could be released second half of 2019.

Monday, March 5, 2018

No Oscar for Meryl and first trailer from "Mary Poppins Returns"

It's not like anyone was expecting Meryl to win, but last night she lost for the the fourth consecutive time at the Academy Award, bringing her overall total to 3-for-21. Congratulations to Frances McDormand, who, as expected, took the Best Actress prize for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This was McDormand's second win, after 1996's Fargo.  

Streep looked amazing on the red carpet, and of course got mentioned in host Jimmy Kimmel's monologue. Hard to believe it was just under a year turnaround from when it was announced she would be starting in The Post to when the awards season wrapped up. That's some crazy quick work. The quest can now begin for Meryl's next nominated performance. My guess it will be in something she has yet to announce.


The only real upset was The Shape of Water taking Best Picture over Three Billboards. Not a huge surprise, considering Guillermo del Toro won director, while Martin McDonagh (director of Three Billboards) wasn't even nominated.

In other news, the first trailer for Mary Poppins Returns was revealed during the Oscar telecast.  It's not much more than a teaser, as we barely see Emily Blunt and none of the other main cast members except for Lin-Manuel Miranda. I hope that we get a full trailer or at least a few stills of Meryl's character Topsy within a month or two.