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.
