Streep to narrate documentary "Escape from Extinction: Rewilding"

Multiple sources are reporting that Meryl will narrate the upcoming documentary feature, Escape from Extinction: Rewilding. The film is the follow up to the 2020 doc Escape from Extinction (incidentally narrated by Helen Mirren). 

Per Variety:

Directed and produced by Matthew Brady through MRB Productions, the film will explore how “rewilding” — a conservation approach that aims to restore natural processes and increase biodiversity by reducing human influence on ecosystems — will ensure that conservation efforts are effective and sustainable.

Meryl seems to be picking up a little steam with bits of work announced (and rumored) over the past two weeks. Good to see. Here's hoping the Joni Mitchell project comes to fruition. 

Rewilding will be in select theaters on September 27. 

Streep earns Emmy nomination and is rumored for Joni Mitchell biopic?

This morning, Meryl was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her supporting work in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. Many awards pundits have predicted her name for months, so while the nomination is of course delightful to hear, it was far from unexpected. This is Meryls sixth Emmy nomination (fifth for acting), and her first for a comedy. Were she to win, it would be her fourth trophy. Streep's fellow nominees in the Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy:

Carol Burnett (Palm Royale)  

Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear) 

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) 

Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) 

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

It's kind of exciting to see Meryl nominated alongside Carol Burnett, who recently commented on her interested in some day collaborating with Meryl on something. My money is on Einbinder to win this. 

Only Murders sort of cleaned up at the nominations. Along with Streep's nomination, there were six other acting nominations for the series:

Steven Martin and Martin Short (Lead Actor)

Selena Gomez (Lead Actress)

Paul Rudd (Supporting Actor)

Matthew Broderick (Guest Actor)

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Guest Actress)

In other, perhaps more interesting news, there is a rumor that Meryl is "being eyed" to portray Joni Mitchell in an upcoming biopic, directed by Cameron Crowe. I believe Jeff Sneider was the first to report last year on Crowe's involvement in developing a script for the film. The news of Meryl's possible participation came out last night and was reposted by World of Reel this morning. World of Reel was the site that suggested Meryl was possibly going to star in The Thursday Murders Club alongside Viola Davis and directed by Steven Spielberg. That quickly revealed itself to not be the case. It's not impossible that if Spielberg had indeed directed it that Streep and Davis were circling that project, but it makes me take this Mitchell news with a major grain of salt. I was just thinking a couple day ago how nice it would be if we had news of Meryl doing something this fall to be released next year, considering the Devil Wears Prada sequel doesn't seem likely to film until next year at the earliest. The rumored Mitchell biopic is apparently slated for filming later this summer and fall. Stay tuned on this one. 

Regardless of whether or not this turns out to be true, it's fun to imagine Streep being involved in a pic about her friend Joni. Crowe's an accomplished director to boot (Almost Famous), despite having a fairly quiet career in recent years. 

"The Devil Wears Prada" sequel in the works at Disney

Multiple sources are reporting today that Disney is in early development of a Devil Wears Prada sequel, with Streep reprising her role as Miranda Priestly. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna has once again been tapped to write the script, with original David Frankel rumored to be in talks to helm this as well. The news of the film's production came with the following logline for the film's plot:

Miranda’s (Streep) career goes into decline, which forces her to go face to face with Emily (Blunt), now a major exec at a luxury group, whose advertising dollars Miranda desperately needs.

So, we know that Emily Blunt will be reprising her role. No word on Anne Hathway, but it doesn't seem likely that there'd be a role for her. The story of the sequel also does not sound like Laura Weisberger's 2013 follow-up novel, Revenge Wears Prada. Seems like this might be a completely original script. 

When I first saw the news for this, I had mixed feelings. I, like many other Streepers, have been impatiently waiting for news of a new lead project for Meryl (or just anything juicy). I'm just not a huge fan of the idea of sequels for Meryl. This likely stems from my desire to see her inhabit new roles, which is of course what makes me a huge fan of hers in the first place--she's always doing new and fresh things. 

But thinking a bit on it, I wonder if this might end up being a very shrewd career move for Meryl. While it's certainly possible that the film will turn out to be pure crap, it's hard to imagine it not making a decent amount of money. And if it makes a shit ton of money like the original did, the result (like it was after the original's release), could be an inundation with film offers for Meryl in the aftermath. The options for roles are likely far fewer these days, but if this turns out to be a money-maker, it's a recipe for green-lighting things that otherwise may never have seen the light of day. Maybe Meryl would even contend for some awards. 

Considering that the sequel will take place about twenty years after the original, and Miranda is sort of in dire straits, the character may be far enough removed from the more mysterious 2006 version we all know and love. That's a bit closer to a new character than say a sequel that happens one to three years later. Twenty years is a long time, and people can go through plenty of things that markedly alter their beliefs, motivations, and behaviors. It will be exciting to see how Meryl makes this fresh. That's one key spot of opportunity for her to shine. 

With the script apparently not even complete, it seems unlikely that filming will get underway anytime sooner than 2025. Which then means we're likely looking at a 2026 release (twenty years exactly after the original). I like tidy timelines like that. It would make it more of an event, and possibly be helpful with the marketing. I'd be surprised if this were not released in the summer. And I really hope they come up with a title more interesting than The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Regardless of what I or anyone else thinks about this news, it's wonderful to have something to look forward to for Meryl's career again! Now what if we also get news that she's going to film something else new this fall?!

Streep turns 75

Happy birthday, Meryl! Quite a milestone, as today she turns 75. I'm not going to do some major retrospective on her career, but suffice it to say that if she never worked another day in her life, hers would still go down as the most illustrious career a screen actor can achieve. I measure that by the quality and breadth of her performances. The spectrum of characters she has inhabited over the past fifty or so years is truly staggering, and the performances will live on regardless of any new project she chooses to pursue. 

To this last point, I'm not alone among Streepers in having bemoaned the paucity of new projects in the past two to three years. She's in the longest Oscar nomination drought of her career (last was for 2017's The Post), and we have no new film roles announced. Nothing at all announced, in fact. It's interesting to consider, however, that in that time, she had early buzz for supporting roles in both 2019's The Laundromat and 2021's Don't Look Up, both of which I consider great performances worthy of, if not more worthy than some of her other performances, of nomination consideration. It just didn't come together in those respective years and for those respective movies. But imagine if she had gotten in for either of those, our perspective of her sort this recent "quiet" period would likely be much different, with potentially only five or three years since her last nomination. Food for thought. 

I continue to remind myself that Meryl historically takes breaks. There are fewer options out there for roles (although not none), and she likely has a very filled and fulfilling private life. We're less than a year out from the news that she's been essentially single for the past six years. All that said, the time seems ripe for something exciting to be announced soon. Maybe a bit meaty film role with an auteur director. Maybe a lead role in a limited series (my personal favorite possibility). Let's also not forget that we get to see her in the new season of Only Murders in the Building in August. It sounds like she'll be featured less than in last season, but we also get to look forward to the fact that it's overwhelmingly likely that Meryl will be nominated for an Emmy next month for her supporting work in season 3. She's going to challenge for the win as well. 

There seems to be plenty of good will out there for her, evidenced by her recent honorary recognition at last month's Cannes Film Festival. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I really think Meryl wants (maybe even needs?) to continue acting or performing to feel like herself, to feel most alive, to feel vital. She's a young 75, at least by appearance. I say that from the perspective of a physical therapist. In my profession, one can't help but get a very clear and close up sense of what decades of life can do to the human body. Gravity takes its toll, and yet Meryl, at 75, maintains excellent posture, seemingly great spine mobility, good balance, a fluid cadence in her speech (which suggests to me a fleeting and nimble mind), and a vibrancy that suggests she'll continue to involve herself in new things. The physical presentation that I've observed makes her more easily cast in roles that might be up to ten to fifteen years younger than her chronological age. So there's a bounty of opportunity. If she wants it. 

I'll end this with a fun anecdote from the great Carol Burnett, who, at 91, was quoted this week as saying that she's interested in continuing to work as long as it's "fun." When then asked if she had specific actors with whom she'd like to collaborate, she shared, "Oh, there's quite a few. I would say Meryl Streep because she's funny and boy, can she sing."

How lovely it would be to see that happen. 

Streep to narrate Rufus Wainwright's musical creation "Dream Requiem"

Coming off her honorary award at the Cannes Film Festival last month, Meryl will be back in France next week to narrate a poem during Rufus Wainwright's musical creation "Dream Requiem." The live performance will take place at the Radio France Auditorium in Paris, which will be broadcast on France Musique and Arte Concert. 

Not staggeringly excited news, but I enjoy Rufus Wainwright, and it's good to see Meryl continuing to work, even if it's not always on screen.

Meryl to produce and star in new book-to-screen adaptation?

Meryl is of course in Cannes, and a video of an interview she did was released today. I skipped through a couple of parts because I've heard her talk about several of the things that she was asked. But one little snippet really made me perk up. Listen from 31:35 to 32:16. 

She talks about how she waits for scripts to come to her (we've heard her mention this many times), and that she "doesn't produce things," she doesn't "buy books" to develop into movies. But then she stops herself and says "Although...I think I just did recently. Something that's in development." 

Wow. To be fair, we don't know for sure if she's even talking about something that she would expect to star in herself, but I get the sense that it would be. And saying something is "in development" could mean that we never hear about it and it never sees the light of day. But I'm excited at the thought of 1) Meryl starring in something new and 2) that it might be something that she read and thought "I need to snatch this story up!"  

Had I been the interviewer I of course would have asked whether or not she could share the name of the book. I imagine it would've landed the book a bunch of quick sales. Looking forward to see if we ever get to find out what it is!

Streep in serious talks for "Mamma Mia!" 3

This was not the immediate news I was hoping to get out of Cannes. Baz Bamigboye at Deadline interviewed Meryl and got the most specific information about the rumors of her signing on for a third round of Mamma Mia! that we heard thus far. Meryl was quoted as saying that "of course I want to do it. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. They have an idea. I haven’t heard it yet but it’s in [my diary] and I’m going to hear about it pretty soon." Her agent Kevin Huvane then added that they were "optimistic" about it. 

Fine. I'm getting pretty desperate to see Meryl in something new and interesting. This is definitely not it. But as always, I'm in favor of Meryl doing something, and if there are talks for this movie, maybe there are talks for others. At the very least, it's pretty obvious that Meryl has no immediate plans for retiring from the screen altogether. Would a Mamma Mia! trilogy be so bad as part of her film legacy? I guess not. Hell, maybe the third time will be the charm. The second installment was technically a better film, but Meryl was in it so little. Hopefully, if this moves forward, Meryl will have a big part, and it will be both high quality and entertaining. 

Season 4 of "Only Murders in the Building" set for August 27 premiere

Deadline is reporting that season 4 of Only Murders in the Building will premiere on Hulu on August 27. A trailer was released last night with the news. 

The gang heads to Los Angeles after an offer comes in to make a movie out of their podcast. The latest season's cast is by far the most star-studded, with Melissa McCarthy being revealed as the latest addition. There was a tiny snippet of Meryl's character Loretta dressed in a fancy black gown, suggesting that she has hit the big time in the city of Angels. 

I maintain that Meryl's role seems smaller than in season 3. I wouldn't be devastated if that were the case. Following her seemingly very well-received appearance in Cannes, it sort of feels like momentum may be building for us to hear an announcement soon of a new and exciting project. A boy can dream. 

Streep receives honorary Palme d'Or in Cannes

Meryl was on hand at the 77th Cannes Film Festival earlier today to receive an honorary Palme d'Or.

 

She's looking amazing at the photo call in her white suit. Later on the red carpet...

French actress Juliette Binoche then presented Meryl with the award. 

It was so touching how emotional Juliette got when giving her speech. It's always interesting to me when learning of other actors who have been so impacted by Meryl's work and artistry. I feel that's a big testament to the quality of Meryls work: the fact that top-notch actors often revere her or single her out as the best. There are few better measures of how good someone is at their profession that polling others who do it (especially those who do it well), and those people say "this person" is great. 

I like that Meryl commented something to the effect of "It's nice to see that you're not sick of seeing my face." Of course my brain always goes to hoping that we'll get to see her in more and more projects. There's no question in my mind that there's an adoring audience for it. Maybe this is all part of sort of whetting the public's appetite for seeing her in something great. And hopefully soon. Is it too much to hope that she's able to do some really good networking while in France? 

Regardless, congratulations Meryl!

Streep to receive honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

Multiple sources are reporting that Meryl will be presented with an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival later this month. Streep's last visit to Cannes was when she was awarded the Best Actress prize for 1988's A Cry in the Dark. The award will be presented on the first night of the festival. 

Honors like this help to bolster the public perception of Meryl's greatness, which I hope only adds to the likelihood that she'll continue to be offered (and be interested in taking) worthwhile projects well into the future. It'll be fun if we get a video of the ceremony. The festival runs May 14-25. Congratulations, Meryl!

Wish list #13: Madeleine Albright

While it's been fun to see Meryl out and about as of late (I'll wait to post until we get a high-quality video of her presenting at Nicole Kidman's AFI tribute), we Streepers continue to mourn the dearth of screen projects in the pipeline. Yes, we have the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building coming up later this year, but that's pretty small potatoes when considering the heft of projects we're used to getting from her. Speculations on whether or not she's semi or fully retiring abound. I'm in the camp of believing that she's very likely going to continue to act, and that she's simply waiting on her next project to get underway and to be announced. So, in the meantime, I'll continue to post about Meryl's roles that only live in my head. One of these days we'll all get pleasantly surprised when she ends up being announced in something I or we have predicted, sort of like The Post. 

In early 2022, I posted a series of six suggestions of adaptations of novels that I thought would be reasonable fits for Meryl to star. Around that time, I also posted a poll of whom readers would most like to see Meryl portray in a biopic. Eleanor Roosevelt, Greta Garbo, and Jane Goodall were the top three. While any of those would be wonderful, I'm adding another to the list. 

A few months ago, I read a book about people who grew up in North Korea, some who eventually escaped (Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea). I followed that with Madeleine Albright's memoir Madam Secretary. I was interested in the latter primarily because of Albright's visit to North Korea in the last year of her tenure as the first female Secretary of State of the United States. Albright was around 63 during the visit, but pictures suggest that Meryl would likely have no issue believably portraying her if a project came together within the next few years. 

Albright with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il

Albright was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and emigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 11. With a life and career as long as hers, I think it would be interesting to focus on a specific period, like the one in 2000 where she went to North Korea on a state visit. It's often difficult for me to believe that societies like North Korea still exist. It's rarely depicted in media and onscreen, and it would be a fascinating event to depict. Just the scene where they held a welcome spectacle in a stadium that fit 100,000 people would be an incredible scene to create. 

I find it interesting to consider the possibility that if Donald Trump is frighteningly reelected this November, a film depicting a woman diplomat visiting a dictatorship would have it's own sort of chilling parallel to our times. That is, after all, what Trump aspires to...being a "supreme leader" in the vein of tyrants like Kim and Trump's role model, old Vlad Putin. 

Albright is in her own right a sometimes divisive and controversial figure (military tactics, religion, her role and comments during the Kosovo War). But a biopic is never interesting if you're depicting someone who was perfect. I, for one, would be the first in line to buy a ticket to see Streep in a film tackling all of Albrights strengths and weaknesses. Who else is better at getting to the heart of someone's humanity than Meryl? 

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!