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!
Very exciting!
ReplyDeleteYay!! Excellent news but then this made me think of all the films that never got out of the Development stage. Below are just a few I would have loved to have seen but projects never saw the light of day. Possibly a new series here on Word?- Jamie
ReplyDeleteThe Senator’s Wife
Still Life
Flora Plum
Mommy and Me
Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat who touched the World
The Nix
Daughter of the Queen of Sheeba
Chaos
Dirty Tricks
Master Class
Plus that brief moment last winter when there was a rumour of a TV series with Aaron Sorkin...that didn't sell :O
DeleteCan you imagine saying no to a Meryl show?!
Master Class still stings, it could have been a top 10 career performance!
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DeleteMary Stuart, First Man, The Michael Patrick King project with Oprah
DeleteAnd yes, Master Class still stings for me too. It had the makings of a masterpiece.
DeleteI have a couple of projects that didn’t pan out to add to the list above , both from the 90s:
Delete“Burke” - based on a real life NYC police detective named Kathy Burke.
“The Other Woman” - a comedy about an actress who suspects her husband is having an affair. And Meryl co-wrote the screenplay with Carrie Fisher when she was pregnant with Louisa.
It's kinda funny to hear her say she doesn't produce - when she definitely has (First Do No Harm; Sell/Buy/Date; financing the Lily Ledbetter movie) and, honestly, when she is attached as a producer lately it doesn't come to be: The Nix, Places, Please (which I am curious to see if she still gets a credit on that!). I would love to see it be something significant for her but I wouldn't be surprised if it's something for kids, as I'm sure she's spending a lot of time in that literary world right now!
ReplyDeleteShe often doesn't actually want credit, isn't credited for the Lily Ledbetter movie and wasn't even ever actually credited for Places, Please (now The Great Lillian Hall), so that's probably what she means, even if she technically put some money into it, it doesn't count if she doesn't take the credit.
DeleteI think that's something for kids,too
ReplyDeleteInteresting a couple comments of people thinking the optioned book is a children's book. I realize she's got grandkids, but are are their reasons beyond that which lead people to believe it's for kids?
DeleteThere's literally nothing lol
DeleteShe's been narrating children's stories even before her grandkids were born so just because she's still doing it isn't really a reason to all of a sudden suspect this is also a kids thing.
DeleteLet's hope it's not a children's book but something worth her talent. I miss the fearlessness in her during the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. Sometimes I look at what Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett have been doing for the past 15 years and I wish Meryl had a part in that kind of movies by internationally acclaimed directors. Mamma Mia Pt 3? Not my cup of tea, really. But I won't stop hoping she will return to the movies with some meaty roles and unique characterization.
ReplyDeleteΤilda etc are 15 years younger. Think about Meryl s 50s . What did she do? The Hours, Adaptation, Prada, Prairie home, Doupt and more....
ReplyDeleteIf only Meryl bought something so she could direct it! That day has long passed I’m sure.
ReplyDeleteThe early reviews for “The Great Lillian Hall” are pretty great. I wish Meryl had not dropped out.
ReplyDeleteI've said many times she's semi-retired. Look at her interview at Cannes. She said with five grandkids she didn't have time to watch movies so you can deduce she will have a harder time saying yes to be in a movie for months. Yes Jessica Lange is deserving of all the accolades (Great Lillian Hall, Mother Play) and her recent Tony win 2 to 3 years ago. Meryl's loss for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe lady or gentleman. Your intentions are pretty horrible after the last time you made up a Q&A that didn't even happen in order to convince others that Meryl was semi-retired. If you spoke anonymously just to demoralize Meryl's fans, it's sadly futile; this blogger's strong heart is hard to shake.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can see, you never leave a comment on Meryl's good news, although you are anonymous, the tone of your voice tells the difference.The Great Lillian Hall isn't even online and airing, so where are the comments coming from? The director is a first time movie maker, there is no guarantee of quality, if it was good it wouldn't have been turned into a TV movie. The show was picked up by Glenn after Meryl quit, and in the end Glenn quit too, doesn't that tell you something?
ReplyDeleteJ - I think you're the one stirring the pot. Here's one of the many great reviews for Lilian Hall - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-great-lillian-hall-review-jessica-lange-1235905452/
ReplyDeleteIf you can't accept that Meryl is now spending more time with her grandkids and has less time to watch the movies she would like to (listen to her Cannes interview), then that's on you but please do not smear the intention of another commentor just because you choose to look at it from another angle. And least of all, please do not mitigate the success of Jessica Lange by saying that her TV series has no guarantee of quality just because it was passed over by Glenn Close. Judging from the sound of it, you are here to stir the pot. We're all Meryl fans and we don't have to agree with each other's perspective (Mamma Mia 3 for example). Stop harassing others here. This is a safe space for Meryl fans.
I've never been unaccepting of Meryl's retirement, on the contrary I've always thought Meryl has slowed down in recent years. But I would never try to force someone to accept my point of view, much less make things up in order for someone to accept my point of view. When I said you make things up I was referring to your last comment about the TDWP event where Meryl said she didn't have any projects. The fact is no one asked that question and Meryl didn't answer it. You haven't responded to this lie you've been telling yet. I watched all of Meryl's interviews. But this article is clearly directed at Meryl for saying she has been doing some projects. You know the blogger never thought Meryl would retire, so why are you trying to force him to accept your point of view?
ReplyDeleteAm I disparaging Lange? I'm just objectively analyzing the fact that when a project has people dropping out one after another and the project is on hold for a long time before it gets off the ground, there's usually something wrong with the project in that case. When Meryl approached this project, it was clearly a theatrical movie, and now that it's become a TV movie, which objectively is a downgrade, what's wrong with it? What does a TV movie have to lose for Meryl? I'm not even being blunt about the fact that the project was downgraded to a TV movie because Lange didn't have box office appeal.
ReplyDeleteMeryl is the greatest actress alive, and with an accomplishment like hers, she has nothing to lose by not doing any scenes right now; she's already one of the top actresses in the history of cinema, far ahead of her contemporaries and even many of her predecessors.
ReplyDeleteJ - I will address your recrimination one by one. You are free to believe that Meryl is not semi-retired, that's fine. I have never imposed on anyone to agree with me that she's semi-retired. I merely stated my viewpoint here but you're so adamant to correct me that you are the one instead imposing your view on others. As for the interview that she has no project in the timeline, I saw it on TikTok and was trying to paste the link here but I could not get hold of that clip as my TikTok kept refreshing and I didn't save it. Please do not try to insinuate that I have bad intention just because you choose it look at it from another angle. About Lange/Lilian Hall - the move to TV does not mean it's a downgrade - like some fans here who regard Meryl's role in OMITB as a downgrade. To each his own. I don't see it that way. In fact, TV nowadays has character depth than most movies I've seen of late. Lange doesn't have box office appeal? Compared to who? I don't understand why some people have to pit female actresses or singers against each other. For what purpose? It's like one commentor in the Film Experience (who also has a name that starts with J and a psycho Meryl fan) who simply cannot see Meryl from any other angle except that she's better than anyone else. I love Meryl and I think she's among the greatest but I will never wear rose-tinted glasses and regard her at all times. There are other actresses whose performances are on par with hers or even better and I love them all the same like Blanchett and Huppert. Enough said, it's one thing to agree to disagree, it's another to attack another fan just because you harbor some other personal agenda. I will not respond to you anymore.
ReplyDeleteYou claimed she was asked something at the Devil Wears Prada q&a that she was never asked and therefore she never said she has no projects in the works, there are absolutely no TikToks that exist that you are claiming exist, multiple people have literally said that never happened. So you can’t really blame people for not thinking the best of you because of it.
DeletePerhaps consider you misunderstood whatever the TikTok was because you have multiple people telling you they spoke with people who were there that said that never happened.
DeleteHow hard it is to just wait and see instead of being so demoralizing?
DeleteHell the point of this article is she literally said she bought something, the implication being she is looking for projects, so it makes absolutely no sense for you to still be insisting she’s semi-retired.
DeleteI’m sorry, I just cannot fathom how you could just completely ignore what this article is actually saying and talk about her saying she doesn’t have enough time to watch movies and use that to insist that relates to her own projects, when the article is literally about her saying she has something in development, what are you even trying to achieve at this point?
DeleteLange has only grossed a few million per movie except for a few early ones, she really has no box office appeal so stating the truth is demeaning? There you go you're pulling on Meryl again. I'm addressing the fact that it's a movie project that went from a theatrical movie to a TV movie, which is indeed a downgrading of a project, and there's a problem with that? Who exactly is making the comparison? Who initiated the mention?
ReplyDeleteAnd as Upstairs said, the fact that there are higher and lower levels of achievement for actors is a provocation?
I don't think Meryl's performances are always the best, and it's hard for an actor to keep performing at a high level for decades. But I have reservations about your examples of two better than Meryl. that's all
ReplyDeleteActing is one thing, accomplishments are another, and those actors listed by the anonymous user are really way below Meryl's accomplishments. It's kind of funny that you don't even want to recognize objective facts like that.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to offend anyone. Acting skills are a matter of personal opinion, but there are objectively different levels of actors' career achievements.
DeleteUh...I think everyone here needs to chill. We all love Meryl and everyone should have the right to express their opinion whether TV is a downgrade or whether Meryl is semi retired or not. Another thing is let's not denigrate other actresses. Isabelle Huppert and Cate Blanchett are all great and there's no need to reduce their accomplishments to 'objective facts'. We should all spend our time celebrating Meryl merrily!!!
ReplyDeleteTheir claim that she’s semi retired is based on something that never actually happened, is the issue.
DeleteCan we please not argue? Meryl had first dibs on the movie and she decided to pass, for her own reasons. I'm sure she wishes Jessica and those involved all the best with it and will no doubt watch their hard work at some point.
ReplyDeleteMeryl has been nothing but magnanimous and supportive towards others her whole career.
Maybe we can just now focus on the future?
That’s all we want is for fans for just wait and see but that one anonymous person insists on crushing the spirits of fans here.
DeleteUnfortunately, Lange's fans are not friendly. Out of jealousy, many Lange fans like to belittle or even spread rumors about Meryl.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, some Meryl's fans can also be rather caustic like fans of any actress for that matter. They will object to anyone saying xxx's performance in some movie is better than Meryl's in say, a similar movie. The coin always has two sides. I like what CJames has said, to be kind and magnanimous towards others. We should learn from Meryl herself.
ReplyDeleteBut Meryl fans rarely attack and vilify an actor with something outside of the movie, but Lange fans will do that to Meryl, even going so far as to make up stories, and the jealousy is really horrible.
DeleteWhy is it that some people can't always find the point to talk, who has criticized your beloved Lange's performance in Great Lillian Hall? All that's been said from start to finish is that the movie hasn't even aired, it's too early to judge, and it's also weird that she's so sure it's Meryl's loss. Obviously a bit too fond of Lange to be particularly sensitive.
ReplyDeleteNow you can see how crazy and demeaning some fans can be. All I'm saying is that she's semi-retired, and I say Lange's role in Lilian Hall is merely Meryl's loss, and that her Cannes comment about not having enough time to watch the movies she wants essentially ties in to what I have deduced as a sign of semi-retirement yet you have all these woke, easily-riled and vicious people attacking me for stating my point of view just because they assume they know me, they see my intentions and they twist the context to suit their thoughts, they claimed that what I'd seen on TikTok was false and they called me a liar! This place has sadly turned scary and toxic. I'm not even a Lange fan - haha I don't even like her much and yet they allude me to 'my beloved Lange'? Assumptions and insinuations are allowed to run riot. I love Meryl and I applaud Jeff for running this Meryl fandom and I have been here since the beginning but I guess it's time to bid farewell especially to Jeff, CJames and a few regulars. Thank you so much, you've filled my life with joy of Meryl analysis and the -what-if- series ! I wish you well and hopefully we'll see Meryl in another meaty role. Don't worry, no grudges towards the handful of crazy fans. Like Meryl said, everything goes fast (her mum said that). Life is too short and too fast to hold on to things that are toxic. Time to let it go. Adios!
ReplyDeleteGood lord, people. It amazes me how little capacity some folks have for facing opinions contrary to their own. It hurts my heart to learn that anyone, much less someone who's followed this site since its inception, would feel the need to discontinue their participation due to a sense of toxicity in the comments section.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on the the discourse on this post: as incapable as I am at being objective when it comes to Meryl, it's reasonable to me to see how someone could deduce that Meryl is in a sort of "semi-retirement." She simply does less these days. The fact remains, however, that we don't know for certain why. Is there a lack of roles/projects, a lack of interest, some other personal reason? I don't know. I'll add that I've seen no evidence (a direct quote, a confirmation from more than one source) that she is specifically and deliberately planning to work less in the future. My assumption (based on close observation of her personality and her career for many years) is that she will always want to act. She goes through breaks. It's a special "season" at this point in her career, as the availability of suitable projects (or things that she could stand to involve herself in), is likely getting narrower and narrower. That does not mean, from my own observation, that she simply doesn't have the time to film anything.
I'm optimistic that we will continue to see her in future projects, hopefully for many years! Until then, I will (and strongly recommend others) enjoy her previous work, and continue to be optimistic and hopeful that she'll do interesting and exciting new things.
As far as this site goes, keep expressing your opinions. Be respectful to other posters. And I challenge each of us to endure disagreements and even criticism, assuming those are not communicated in cruel or offensive ways (which I have not observed on this site). I think all of us want to see her continue working, but if it isn't happening, pull yourself together and find a way to cope.
On the other post we simply said we talked to people that were there, just to inform, and they never responded to that, so it’s a little unfair that we’re getting villainized when we were trying to be civil and just help a fan out, and now when we point out the same facts again they just ignore it.
DeleteThey refuse to acknowledge the fact that multiple people who were at that event have said she was never asked that and never said anything about that, so they likely misunderstood whatever they saw on TikTok, that’s an issue that could easily have been fixed by a simple acknowledgment like “maybe I misunderstood it” but they instead continue to insist she’s semi-retired and completely ignore what you actually pointed out that she said in this article!!
ReplyDeleteAnd “woke” has absolutely nothing to do with it lmfao
Delete