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.

Season 4 of "Only Murders in the Building" moving to Los Angeles

Several sources are reporting today that the fourth season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building is moving to Los Angeles. The first three seasons of course took place in New York City. 

In the Collider article I read, Disney Television Group President, Craig Erwich, teased a possible return of Meryl's character, Loretta Durkin. At the end of the season 3, Loretta was getting offers for acting work in Los Angeles. The latest season's move to California seems to suggest a natural setup for seeing Meryl at least in an episode or two, even if she's not as heavily featured as she was in season 3. I suspect filming will be underway soon, with a late-summer/early-fall release. 

While I want to see a lot of Meryl, I want new stuff! I want a lead role in a feature film or a limited series and will settle for nothing less. Fingers crossed we get some more definitive news either way soon. 

Streep attends 40th-anniversary screening of "Sophie's Choice"

I was surprised to see this headline today for two reasons. One, it's been over forty-one years since Sophie's Choice was released, and two, I had no idea this event was planned. At first, I thought it might just be a repeat article from a couple of years ago that I just didn't remember, but there are several outlets that have released articles on the night's event. 

Several big stars showed up at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan last night for the screening. This news doesn't have a lot of significance as far as I can tell, but maybe it rejuvenates some interest Meryl as an exceptionally talented actor whom any director would be blessed to work with. I have a feeling Meryl already has a few things coming down the pike, and as I mentioned in my previous post, she's just kind of visible a lot more lately. It's like she's finally, if slowly, whetting our appetites for seeing something new and exciting of hers on screen. 

Streep with Sophie's Choice co-stars Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol

No Grammy for Streep

Meryl will have wait to get one step closer to her EGOT. Last night, she lost the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book Recording to former first lady, Michelle Obama. Streep had been nominated for reading Big Tree. 

Despite the loss, Meryl was prominently featured in the night's telecast, jumping into her seat while host Trevor Noah was mid-monologue.

I chuckled at "The Grammys is gonna win an Oscar." 

We knew ahead of time that Meryl would be presenting an award at the show. I'm sure any of us knew for what, though. And it turns out that she joined her music producer son-in-law, Mark Ronson, to present Record of the Year. They did a cute little bit.

@hollywoodreporter #merylstreep roasts her son in law #markronson while they present together at the #grammys #grammys2024 ♬ original sound - The Hollywood Reporter

I didn't watch the show because they weren't going to show her category, and I figured I'd be able to see clips of her presenting if I wanted to a few hours later. And I'm not that invested in whether or not she ever wins an EGOT. I care about her on-screen acting work. With that said, she seems to be more visible these days. Yes, it's awards season, but even for the couple of noms she's had for her work in Only Murders in the Building, it feels like with the greater exposure she's building up to some news about what we'll get to see her do next. As in, she's not going away anytime soon. 

Patiently waiting. 

Looks like no Almodóvar movie for Streep

Variety announced yesterday that Julianne Moore has officially been cast alongside Tilda Swinton in Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming English-language feature film debut, The Room Next Door. It's reportedly about a relationship between a mother and a daughter (Swinton the mother) and Moore as Swinton's friend. I suspect that had Meryl also been attached, they would've announced her as well. 

One thing that I'm still confused about is that previous reports suggested that the movie would star three veteran actresses who play friends. Maybe the "three" was not necessarily a trio of friends, but that the daughter is one of the group. So I guess it leaves open a shred of possibility that Meryl could be in it, but it seems very unlikely to me. John Turturro was also announced as attached to star in the film. No word on what his role may be. 

Still waiting on some project news from Meryl. 

Streep eyed for cameo in "Abbott Elementary"

Well apparently Only Murders in the Building isn't the only Hulu show looking to snag some screen time out of Meryl. Sheryl Lee Ralph has been quoted that she's heard there's a possibility of a cameo from Streep in Ralph's hit mocuseries, Abbott Elementary. Ralph was indicating that she hoped that Denzel Washington could make an appearance on the show, and she happened to mention that Meryl's name has apparently already been floating around, even going as far as suggesting Meryl could play her stepsister. 

I wouldn't mind seeing Meryl join this cast for a small role, especially since we might be getting some good news regarding other projects soon. Abbott Elementary has been critically acclaimed, with multiple Emmy nominations in both its first two seasons, including Quinta Brunson winning last night for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. 

Streep wins Critics Choice Award

While not in attendance, Streep was awarded the Critics Choice Award last night for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The role of course was for portraying Loretta Durkin in Hulu's third season of Only Murders in the Building. Congratulations, Meryl! The win comes just a couple of days after speculation online that she will return for season four. 

I think it will be shocking at this point if she isn't among the nominees for the Emmys when nominations are announced, likely this summer. Love to see her back on the awards circuit. Here's hoping it continues in the near future in some new and exciting projects!

Streep returning for season four of "Only Murders in the Building"?

I debated for a hot second about whether or not to post about this, but Roger Friedman at Showbiz411 has posted that he has confirmed Meryl's participation in season four of Only Murders in the Building. I'm not familiar with the site, and it seemed kind of gossipy and poorly written. But I'm sure I've speculated on Meryl's future projects with far less concrete news that this in the past! 

Meryl was on hand for the American Film Institute Awards luncheon (looking absolutely stunning in a lavender suit btw). Friedman apparently confirmed the full cast's participation in the upcoming fourth season. More interesting is that at the end of the article, Friedman writes that Meryl told him after the lunch that she's "getting back into film with several projects cooking." If that turns out to be true, it would be like sweet nectar to my starving lips. Despite the acclaim Meryl's getting from her role in Murders, it's no secret that I'd prefer to see her in something new. I'm fine with her being in the upcoming season if in addition to that we get some film projects! Even better if she lands a lead role. 

Fingers crossed that the film news pans out. Regardless, it's wonderful to see Meryl out and about on some red carpets! I'm guessing she'll be at the SAG Awards on February 24 to join the Murders cast for their ensemble nomination. 

I'm sensing a Streep resurgence bubbling under the surface. 

Streep at AFI Awards luncheon

Cast of "Only Murders in the Building" nominated for SAG award

The Screen Actors Guild Award nominations were announced this morning. The lone nomination for Only Murders in the Building was for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series...which includes Meryl, of course. There is no SAG category for supporting roles in television. 

I'm a little surprised that either Martin Short or Steve Martin didn't get nominated. But they're in their third season at this point, and The Bear, for example, is a very popular new(er) show, and Ted Lasso had its final season. Regardless, it might mean we get to see Meryl as part of the ensemble at the show when winners are announced on February 24. It's fun having Meryl be a part of awards season again

The full list of nominees can be seen here. 

No Globe for Meryl

Meryl didn't end up winning the Golden Globe last night for her performance in Only Murders in the Building. I wasn't super surprised by Elizabeth Debicki's win. Her performance in The Crown was amazing and her award was well-deserved. 

Most of the enjoyment was simply the fact that Meryl attended the event. She did the red carpet and looked incredible in Valentino. I'm only bummed that she was forced to take part in that trainwreck of an opening monologue. I had to mute the TV every time he was on stage, sadly. 

Streep makes surprise appearance at Palm Springs Film Awards

Meryl was on hand last night at the Palm Springs Film Awards to present Carey Mulligan with the International Star Award. 

It seems so infrequent that we see Meryl out and about these days that finding out she made this appearance was like a breath of fresh air. She looks so good. 

I realize the Golden Gloves don't quite have the prestige they used to, but being that they're back on broadcast television this year and that Meryl actually stands a chance at a win for her performance in Only Murders in the Building, I really hope that we also see her Sunday night. Seems natural considering she's already near L.A. 

I still feel like Elizabeth Debicki and J. Smith Cameron are strong contenders in Meryl's category Sunday. But it's nice to even be thinking that Meryl's name might be called. 

The Golden Globes air on CBS Sunday, January 7 at 7:00 P.M. CST.

Mulligan and Streep

What can we expect in 2024?

Happy New Year!

It's hard for me to believe that it's been three weeks since I've posted. Some may have noticed that in recent months I haven't posted quite as frequently as I have in the past. Since the start of this blog, I have given myself a little rule of never going longer than a week without posting. I kept that streak going until this summer. After completing the supporting recasting project this spring, I didn't have a lot of creative things I necessarily wanted to add for the time being. That, coupled with the fact that there has been so little Meryl news this past year, I decided to be a little more organic about what I chose to post about. Not that I'll never do another sort of "what if" project, but it's a fair amount of work and I needed a little break from it. 

Now it's time to look forward to a new year. I'm going to be optimistic and consider 2024 an exciting twelve months of opportunity for Meryl. Yes, we have no confirmation of any upcoming projects, but that certainly doesn't mean something couldn't be brewing. They of course want her back for a second season of Only Murders in the Building (snooze), and we're still waiting to get casting news for two additional actresses for Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming English-language debut, The Room Next Door, which is reportedly set to begin filming as early as March (Tilda Swinton is already confirmed). There's also been some buzz about a possible third season of HBO's Big Little Lies (pass). 

I just have to imagine that even if Meryl doesn't film anything this year that we'll at least get news of something being green-lit for her to star. I of course am partial to a lead film role with a great director attached, but would probably be just as happy in a limited series. It's probably got to feel like somewhat of a new beginning for Meryl as well. Although she and her husband, Don, have been separated for several years now, it's only been very recent that the entire world audience is aware of it. I think she'd be shown a lot of good will for anything she involved with, especially considering how well-received her performance in Murders was and her reasonable chances for some awards (Globes are Sunday, SAG noms are on the 10th, and Critics Choice Awards are on the 14th), and the fact that she has been seen in so little in past two years. 

Thinking good thoughts as we ring in the new year!