Recasting 2024: "The Room Next Door"

Not unlike with my last post on Women Talking, when it was first announced in late 2023 that Pedro Almodóvar was going to direct his English feature-length debut with The Room Next Door, I wondered if there might be a role for Meryl. Based on the novel entitled What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, my understanding was that it was about two women friends over fifty who share some kind of secret. We knew that Almodóvar and Meryl had previously planned to work together on Julieta many years before, so it didn't seem out of this world to wonder if maybe they'd finally get to connect. Well, that didn't last long, as shortly after, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore were cast as the two friends. 

I would recast Meryl in the role of Swinton's character, Martha, who's battling terminal cancer and doesn't want to endure the gradual pain and decline of the illness. She reconnects with an old author friend (Moore), Ingrid, with whom she used to work at a magazine. Martha asks Ingrid to stay with her at a rented house, and to be there when she takes a euthanasia pill. Ingrid hesitatingly agrees. The two get reacquainted, and Martha shares the background of her relationship with her estranged daughter, Michelle, whose father was a Vietnam war vet with PTSD who later remarried but died trying to save non-existent people from a house fire. Ingrid eventually finds Martha dead on the patio, and she has to defend herself against a religious policeman who suspects Ingrid knew/participated in Martha's taking of her own life, which is illegal. John Turturro plays a writer friend of Ingrid's (who happened to be a former lover to both Ingird and Martha), and he helps her with finding a lawyer who can help deal with the aftermath of Martha's death. Ingrid calls Michelle, and the two stay at the house together. The end. 

Almodóvar definitely has a distinct style in his directing and choice of cinematography. The movie is very colorful, the dialogue is a bit melodramatic (but it works), and the characters and scenes always feel like they might be in a dream. This is not unlike my experience in watching Julieta, and if Meryl had originally been interested in doing that film, and had been familiar with Almodóvar's work, I imagine she would've expected it. It's also a great character to unpack. Yes, we've seen her suffer with cancer in One True Thing, and a bit in August: Osage County. And there's a bit of that in this movie. But this character is sort of taking the bully by the horns in controlling the exact moment of when it all ends. I've mentioned a couple of times I think in this latest bout of recasting posts how Meryl is drawn to difficult things. Tackling a situation where a character has decided to euthanize herself, and the tricky scenario it would create when considering asking someone to be there with you, and seeing that play out...it's good stuff.

   

I couldn't find a great clip of Swinton, but that was gives you a sense of the movie's tone. Almodóvar has the movie set in New York City and upstate New York, but to me, the film looks very European. Not surprising that some of the scenes were shot in Madrid. I remember seeing an interview with Moore and Swinton where one of them said that the film is Pedro's vision of what upstate New York looks and/or feels like. 

The question comes to mind of whether or not Meryl would be too old for this movie. I argue no. Swinton and Moore are both about ten years younger than her, but we also know that Meryl can easily play someone even today who's believable to be in her early to mid 60s. Just look at The Devil Wears Prada 2. She looks incredible and youthful in how she moves. I don't think she'd have any issue portraying Martha here. I do, however, think that pairing her with someone closer to her own age would be better, as the pair are meant to be contemporaries as far as I can tell, and they're known to have shared the same lover in Turturro's character. Just feels more like they should be similar ages. I wonder if Michelle Pfeiffer would've been a good option for Ingrid. Still has that kind of sophisticated polish with which Moore imbues Ingrid, but Pfeiffer just feels a bit more of Meryl's generation to me, and it would be amazing if they worked together!

The Room Next Door received relatively strong reviews, and won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival. It holds a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 70 on Metacritic. Swinton was often singled out as best in show, and she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama. 

Recasting 2023 (supporting): "Women Talking"

When it was announced that there was going to be a feature film adaptation of Miriam Toews's novel, Women Talking, I got a little excited in anticipation of a possible role for Meryl. I hadn't actually read the book yet, but I was and am a huge fan of Toews's novel, All My Puny Sorrows, so I quickly got my hands on a copy of Women Talking. Alas, Meryl was not involved in the picture, which was brilliantly directed (and written) by Sarah Polley (Away from Her). But I nonetheless clocked it as a great option for my supporting recasting project. 

First off, I've bumped this movie from 2022 to 2023 in order to have included Everything Everywhere All at Once for my official 2022 pick. I'm not sure if all the same actors would've been available to shoot it a year later, but I'm not letting that get in the way. 

The premise of the story is based on a real-life event where Mennonite women in a remote colony in Bolivia were being gassed and raped by the men in the community. The book/movie bring this to North America. And although I don't recall if we get an actual location named in either, the setting could be anywhere in the Midwest, Northeast U.S., or southern Canada, as far as I can tell. Most of the movie depicts the women (elders of the colony, their children, and their children's children), discussing and debating what to do about the rapes. It may seem like an obvious answer about what to do (get the f out), but the beauty of the story is that in this community, such questions come with a host of complications. They ultimately decide to take a vote, with one of three options to select: stay and fight, leave, and do nothing. After the vote is a tie between staying/fighting and leaving, the debate ensues. The following clip showcases the recasted role of Agata Friesen, exquisitely portrayed by the great Judith Ivey. 

I just feel that this is the kind of material that Meryl would eat up. Being that the culture, while contemporary, is so far removed from what most movie-goers have ever lived, it's hard for us to not immediately jump to a conclusion that simply remove the women from the space of the men. While that ultimately is the decision the women in this story make, they battle with reaching such a decision. There are questions of their Christian faith, loyalty, fear out of leaving the only home they've ever known and venturing into a big wide world so unlike their existence that might as well be Timbuktu. And all this not mentioning the emotional, physical and spiritual trauma most of them are experiencing in the aftermath of being violated by rape, and in some cases, incestuous instances of it. 

It's a powerhouse cast, with Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand, and Ben Whishaw (pretty much the only man in the cast with much screen time, portraying the sensitive August, invited to join the meetings to take written account of them).  While not an exhilarating film, it's beautifully shot and exceptionally acted, and, like I suspect Meryl would've liked, it's a thinker. Those/these types of movies get me excited to watch and discuss them. It made no money of course, but I can't imagine it was the type of movie that producers thought people would flock to. Regardless, I'm glad it got made. 

The film did very well with critics, with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 77 on Metacritic. It made it into the cut for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and Polley won for her adapted screenplay. Well done, as it's a very wordy film, the kind that seems more like it had been based off of a play instead of a novel. The cast earned several ensemble nominations from critics groups (including SAG). And while Jessie Buckely received the most supporting actress notices, I think Judith Ivey's performance was excellent, and did earn her a nomination for an AARP Movies for Grownups Award and a win from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle for Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film.

Happy 77th, Meryl!

Meryl turns 77 today. It's interesting to me that I started this blog following a string of major successes in her late 50s, carrying into her Oscar-winning performance of The Iron Lady, which she filmed when she was 61. For the most part, she's carried on with wonderful performances and roles. And despite a bit of a dry spell the last few years, we Streepers have been lucky to see the astonishing global reach of the The Devil Wears Prada 2, and a handful of (hopefully) fun and interesting projects in the pipeline. 

Here's hoping she's having a great day and that she remains happy and healthy. Salut! 

"The Devil Wears Prada" surpasses $1 billion as a franchise

In its seventh week in theaters, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has now racked up $676 million worldwide. This total, combined with the original form 2006, brings the franchise's global box office above $1 billion. Not too shabby for two movies released twenty years apart and whose audience is primarily made up of women. 

Prada 2 will continue to make money. I'm thrilled it's doing well in theaters. It can only bolster any possibility of Meryl's projects getting greenlit and distributed. She's a bankable star well into her 70s. I'm not sure we've seen a woman in the history of cinema do this well for this long, particularly when we consider both Meryl's critics' adulation and box-office clout, the latter of which she didn't really have a ton of until Prada 1. Her movies were often received well by critics (and her performances especially), but they rarely made a lot of money. 

Now let's hope we can continue to get projects that combine both great strories/characters with an audience interested in seeing them!

Recasting 2023: "Nyad"

Way back in 2015, I posted about whether or not Meryl might star in a script from that year's Hollywood Black List. The overwhelming candidate was Robert Specland's script about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, fittingly titled, Nyad. I'll say up front that at the time, Meryl would've been a perfect age to portray Nyad, who, in the story is in her early 60s. Fast forward to 2023, and Annette Bening eventually stars in the  movie, with a new script by Julie Cox, based on Nyad's 2015 memoir, Find a Way. 

I had been fortunate enough to read Specland's script, and I found it wonderful. To be honest, I don't remember a ton of differences between his and Cox's, but I think the latter puts more focus on the relationship between Nyad and her longtime friend and former coach, Bonnie Stoll. I even suggested at the time that Jodie Foster would be a good fit to direct or even star as Stoll, the latter of which she did (the actual directors were Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, in their narrative directorial debuts). I can remember having understood that Meryl swam for exercise, and that although it seemed a bit of a stretch for her to want to do something so physically demanding, the challenge itself would've been an exciting prospect. 

Nyad grew up as a competitive and decorated swimmer. In her twenties, she attempted to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West and failed. Not until she was in her early 60s did she set out to try again, and on the fourth try, she made it. Quick note: her swim has not been ratified by the World Open Water Swimming Association due to various discrepancies with documenting the swim. But my guess is that she did it. And she was the first to do it not inside a shark cage, which, when used, can apparently increase your speed. 

The movie itself tracks Nyad's preparation and attempts at the swim. She corrals her friend and formerly brief love interest, Bonnie Stoll to help coach and train her. Tons of things go wrong along the way. But the story is kind of like Titanic, where even though you know what's going to happen, if the movie is good enough, you wonder if you might just be wrong. Bening succeeds at characterizing the passion and drive Nyad had to have to even consider such a daunting feat. We learn that much of the drive behind her efforts is related to abuse she suffered at the hands of her former coach, and one has to wonder if her completing the swim is sort of like Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, where Hannibal Lecter identifies that Clarice wants to save a young woman from being murdered in an attempt to silence the screams of a lamb she was unable to save as a child, the same way Diana can overcome her traumas by putting her mind to and accomplishing the seemingly insurmountable achievement. 

I have to admit that Bening's performance, while very good, doesn't really remind me of Nyad herself. I've seen a handful of interviews with Nyad, and I just don't see much resemblance. Maybe she wasn't going for a super close characterization, more of capturing of her spirit or a more general idea of her. Not that I desire actors to completely mimic real people they're playing, but I enjoy (particularly if I'm familiar with the person), getting fooled a little that it's really that person on the screen. Meryl, of course, is exceptional at that, and I suspect that she would've taken pains to match Nyad's distinct style of speech. Nyad's father was Greek-Egyptian as well, and I've heard her do a great impression of him with his accent. She also speaks Spanish in the film, which I believe Nyad speaks fluently. 

A quick note on age: re-watching the film, Bening and Foster definitely just feel younger. They are younger than Mery, of course, but the tone of the film would probably have been a bit different if Meryl had been in the role. She's definitely played people over ten years younger than her on paper (Streep would've been 72 when filming (Nyad was 64 when she completed her Cuba-Florida swim). Totally doable. But the biggest difference I think there would've needed to is recasting Bonnie as well. I've often thought that Sigourney Weaver would've been great in the role, and she would likely seem much more of a realistic contemporary to Streep's Nyad, which I think is important for the story. Foster could've stayed attached as director, though! 

The film did pretty well with critics, standing at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a respectable 63 score on Metacritic. It was a Netflix film, so although it debuted at Telluride and had a short run in theaters, it pretty much didn't make any box office money. Bening and Foster both earned Academy Award nominations for their performances, in lead and supporting, respectively. 

"Useful Idiots" a no-go

Thank you to Anonymous for sharing this info. 

In an interview with Spanish-language newspaper, El País, late last month, Sigourney Weaver was specifically asked about Useful Idiots and whether or not she was indeed going to make the film with Meryl. Her response:

Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. But hopefully we'll have another chance. 

I take that to mean that specifically, Useful Idiots is not going to happen (at least not with the two of them), but that she hopes she'll have another/different chance to work with Meryl. 

At least we know now. The movie, set to be directed by Joseph Cedar, was apparently set for filming this past winter. That time came and went without anything happening. Hard to know why for sure. This is not a new situation with Meryl (or any actor, for that matter). Projects are announced, directors are attached, maybe even a co-star or two are mentioned as being "in-talks" or are actually signed. And then nothing. Knowing that it was rumored to film in Canada starting in March, and that Martin Short's daughter passed away in February, maybe Meryl simply dropped out to be able to spend time with him. That seems reasonable and plausible. Maybe the financing just never fully got together, but for some reason I kind of doubt that, knowing the way Weaver had been quoted last fall about them doing the movie in early 2026. 

Oh well. I'm optimistic about The Corrections getting underway in the fall. It'll be exciting to get some casting news hopefully soon. No idea on whether or not the Joni Mitchell biopic will move forward. In theory, I imagine Meryl could squeeze that in from August through October, but I feel we would've heard more of that by now. Cameron Crowe had been quoted last fall that he planned to film it in 2026. As I often say, time will tell. That project I think would still be viable if they waited until 2027 to film. 

Season 6 of "Only Murders in the Building" adds seven to cast

Multiple sources are reporting that Hulu's Only Murders in the Building has added seven new guest stars to it's upcoming sixth season. I'll let everyone click on the link if they want to read all the names, but the only two I recognized were Jennifer Saunders and Simone Ashley. I'm a big fan of Absolutely Fabulous, so the prospect of having Saunders in something alongside Meryl is thrilling. We of course have no idea if the two will share any scenes, but one can hope. 

The show is currently filming in the U.K. Streep has of course been spotted with her beau, Martin Short, in London, and while there's no guarantee Meryl is part of the new season, it stands to reason that her character Loretta makes at least an appearance or two. 

Ashley was recently seen as Miranda Priestly's assistant in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which, by the way has earned nearly $664 million at the worldwide box office. 

No official word on when we'll get to see season 6, but my guess is it'll be around October. 

Jennifer Saunders

Recasting 2022: "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"

The selection for this year was also rather easy for me. I saw the movie sometime in 2022 and not only quickly considered it for my recasting project, but ended up liking it enough I revisited it more than once following. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a delightful comedy adaptation of Paul Gallico's 1958 novel. I'm pretty sure I saw the 1992 TV version starring Angela Lansbury when I was a kid (titled, like the novel, without the "H" in "Harris", to account for how the characters actually pronounced it).  

The plot follows Ada Harris, a war widow in 1950's London. She's works as a cleaning lady who dreams of purchasing a couture Christian Dior gown, after having seen one in her employer's closet. Through a series of happy accidents, she comes up with enough money to make the trip to Paris, thinking she'll just step in to the shop and buy the dress she wants. Enter Dior director, Claudine Colbert (portrayed by Isabelle Huppert), who's not a big fan of Ada's humble background and the sort of tarnish she seems to think it has on the house name. The problem is, the other employees are endeared by Ada, and they do what they can to make sure she gets her dress fitted. When she returns to London, she lends her dress to a dumb actress who manages to burn it to shreds on a heater. And in a serendipitous turn of events, the dress that Ada had originally wanted (they're couture so there's only one!), became available, and due to the impression she left on the employees at Dior, they send it to her with warmest regards. Hurray!

It's a bit of a sugary movie, but it works. And if realistically considering the order of the few previous films I've included in my lead recasting project (The Wife, Catherine the Great, Nomadland, Mass), they're not exactly romps, and therefore a bit of lighter fair at this point would be very much due. There's also more to the role than the sort of good vibes we get from things working out for Ada. Meryl would be able to unpack the sort of baggage that Ada carries with her regarding her MIA husband. It's more like denial, and those close to her seem to recognize that, and perhaps even Ada does, but she doesn't want to quite believe that he's never coming back. 

There's also the juxtaposition of class. Meryl certainly explored this in The Iron Lady. And although much of the Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris takes place in France, the vibe is the same, where simply by the fact that she's not an aristocrat or politician or the wife of a prominent businessman, that she doesn't belong. The scenes with Isabelle Huppert would've been nice to see. There are some fun back-and-forths between those two characters. On the surface, Huppert's character seems kind of one-note. But even for a relatively small role, we get some background on her sort of hard exterior, as it's revealed that she cares for an elderly and infirm father. 

I can't help but think about the movie The Hundred-Foot Journey when watching this movie. There's the French snootiness and strong patrician character who looks down on a new and possibly less polished person in her arena. And the tones are similar. There's conflict, but you always kind of get the sense that things are going to work out for the people you're rooting for, which again, seems like a good fit following a string of very serious selections in this lead recasting series. 

The film was praised by critics, with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic. Manville was particularly lauded, deservedly, garnering a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. And for a rather modest budget (which would've been slightly less modest I imagine, had Meryl been in the pic), it was a box office success, earning $31.4 million against a budget of around $10-12 million. 

"The Corrections" reportedly set to film in November

"What's on Netflix" is reporting that The Corrections is set to film in November.  Not a lot of new info, but the report came from Production Weekly, which included a detailed synopsis: 

 After almost 50 years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert (Streep) is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson’s disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. The oldest, Gary, a once-stable portfolio manager and family man, is trying to convince his wife and himself, despite clear signs to the contrary, that he is not clinically depressed. The middle child, Chip, has lost his seemingly secure academic job and is failing spectacularly at his new line of work. And Denise, the youngest, has escaped a disastrous marriage only to pour her youth and beauty down the drain on an affair with a married man – or so her mother fears. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to. Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home. Stretching from the Midwest at midcentury to the Wall Street and Eastern Europe of today, The Corrections brings an old-fashioned world of civic virtue and sexual inhibitions into violent collision with the era of home surveillance, hands-off parenting, do-it-yourself mental health care, and globalized greed.

If this news is true (not a lot of reason to expect it's not), great to see that it's moving forward!  And of course very interested to learn of casting news sooner than later. Curious to see if Meryl somehow squeezes in the Joni Mitchell biopic before.  I'm guessing not.  

Recasting 2021: "Mass"

In 2020, I completed a year-long recasting project with my entry on Frances McDormand's Academy Award-winning performance in Nomadland. I followed it up a couple years later with my similarly themed supporting project. I had always intended to continue on with entries for each year, but I wanted to give things some time to breathe. So here I am, exactly five years later, to provide my updated list. I'll be posting an entry every Monday until I've completed recasting lead roles from 2021-2025, and supporting roles from 2023-2025. 

My selection for 2021 has been one that I've had in mind pretty much since it was released. Mass is a chamber piece by American Fran Kranz in his directorial debut. The film follows a meeting between two couples who get together to discuss, question, and hopefully find a way to heal in the aftermath of their sons'deaths. The tricky part is, one of the sons was murdered in a school shooting by the other couple's sons. Right off the bat, it's a difficult concept and scenario, right up Meryl's alley. 

The role I've specifically chosen to recast is Ann Dowd's role of Linda, the mother of the shooter, who subsequently took his own life after the shootings. As always, my intention with imagining recasting Meryl in the role is not to impugn Dowd's work. She is absolutely brilliant in the movie and I have no way of knowing if I'd prefer Meryl to her or anyone else (or in any other film). It's just fun to imagine, the same way I enjoy seeing different performers cast in the same play or opera. As an aside, it's always been a bit perplexing that people tend to get a little antagonized at the suggestion of someone wanting to see other actors in previously cast parts. We do it (and enjoy or even crave it) in other mediums. Why should film or TV be any different? 

Anyway, I rewatched the movie this week for the first time since it came out. I remember enjoying it and being very impressed by both the screenplay and acting performances. I have to say, I was even more impressed the second time around. Talk about tackling difficult topics! Dowd is partnered by Reed Birney, who plays the perpetrators father. The parents of said victim are portrayed by Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton. Six years have passed since the tragic shootings, but emotions are still raw, as the couples meet in a church basement to chat. 

I wish I could find a more lengthy clip of one of Dowd's monologues, but alas, no luck. You get a sense of what the back and forth is like. The conversation touches on gun violence of course, the politics surrounding access to firearms, parenting, and mental health. Compelling arguments and questions are raised by all performers (who by the way are all exceptional in their respective roles), but for me, the crux of what all it came down to, from a personal level, is that the parents of the victim just wanted to have a place to put their pain. The way I experienced it in watching the movie, was that they wanted so badly to hear from the shooter's parents that there was a clear, identifiable reason of how or where they had gone wrong as parents. Then they could have an answer, a living culprit, an object for their anger and emptiness. The trouble is, there probably wasn't any one thing the parents of the shooter did that was much different from what any other parent who loved their son would've done. And, possibly, they did more than most parents would do to tackle any red flags they encountered about their son's behavior. That's what's so maddening and painful about it, I think, for the parents of the victim. Maybe it wasn't preventable, as far as the behavior of the shooter's parents was concerned. 

Ultimately, we get to see what looks like some catharsis and forgiveness, when Plimpton's character shares after all their discussion that she though (paraphrasing) that she'd lose her son if she forgave the shooter's parents. Wow! But that she realized this wasn't the case, and the anger and resentment, and her desire for the other parents to be punished began to lift. 

The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 81 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim." I realize that all of Dowd's recognition came in the form of nominations in the Supporting Actress category, but I think it's totally reasonable for the four main characters in this movie to be considered lead. Realistically, if Streep had been in the film, it might've actually been easier for Plimpton to get more noms in supporting, as they would've put Meryl, the more seasoned actor and bigger name, in lead. 

Streep and Short spotted in London suggests filming of newest season of "Only Murders in the Building" underway

Meryl Streep and Martin Short were photographed at a restaurant in London very recently. Not much more to say than what the headline suggests. We know that the two are (likely) a couple, and that the sixth and upcoming season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building is set to take place at least partly in London this year. Thus, it makes sense that they're in London for the time being to shoot! 

No official word that I've seen, but it makes sense that they'd film for a couple months with the season coming out later this year. That would a bit of a quicker turnaround than in recent seasons, as they've usually filmed earlier in the year with the season being released fourth quarter. Maybe they'll push this season's release to early 2027. I honestly could barely care less. The best of the show seems like it's behind us, and I would love to see Meryl in new projects. 

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" surges to $233 million international haul in opening weekend

Multiple sources are reporting that The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to an impressive $77 million domestic box office total. Couple that with another $156 million internationally, and the film is already at $233 million. Evidently 75% of the moviegoers were female. My guess was that another 20% were gay men. Regardless of who it was, the movie made a very impressive total by any standard, much less for one essentially led by women, and in particular one woman who is almost 77. 

This was Meryl's biggest movie opening of her career. That's exciting! And as I've mentioned a handful of times before, I hope it just bolsters future projects for her, assuming they're out there and that she's interested. We'll keep our eyes peeled each week to see if the sky is the limit for Prada's box office numbers. I imagine Mother's Day coming up this weekend is a natural boost for ladies to swing by a theater together. 

"Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" pushed to 2027

A couple of days ago, Netflix announced that they are pushing Greta Gerwig's upcoming Narnia film to 2027.  A lot of details came out of the announcement, including that the official title is Narnia: The Magician's Nephew. The Magician's Nephew was the sixth of seven books in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, and it serves as a prequel to the events of all the others. Meryl name was officially included in the cast list, and the project is now listed under her "credits" tag on her IMDbPro page. 

They're also doing a wide theatrical release, opening on February 12, with it being made available to stream on Netflix on April 2. The book's tagline from the article:

The book is set a 1,000 years before the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and focuses on the lion Aslan's creation of the magical world of Narnia.

Previous reports have suggested that Meryl is in fact Aslan. A lot of people are very skeptical about Streep in any way being the character is Aslan, presumably because it's historically written as a male (and a male lion, at that). But if Gerwig is doing it "her way," and if the C.S. Lewis Estate is on board in producing, I can't imagine it's going to be something so out of left field so as to alienate fans of the books. Time will tell, as always. Knowing that the character is a lion, we don't know if we'll even see Meryl as herself in the movie, or if it'll be a voice-only performance. If that latter is the case, I'm much less interested, although I'll still see it. It would be cool if we actually get to see her act in the film.  

I suspect that this is going to be another big box-office draw, and knowing that it's now opening in early 2027, it spreads things out nicely. Maybe we'll get a teaser this summer and we'll get a better sense of what Meryl's participation will look like. In the meantime, I might read the book. 

Greta Gerwig (and the head of a lion ha)

Film review: "The Devil Wears Prada 2" (2026)

It has been almost five years since I've done a review on a Meryl Streep film. I'd forgotten that 2021's Don't Look Up had a limited theatrical release before it being streamed on Netflix. I had gone to the movie and drove home through a snowstorm. Oh the lengths I go. Last night was definitely less eventful weather-wise. And so, as I like to do for Meryl premieres, I joined my friend Scooter and his partner Joe for a screening of the much anticipated sequel to 2006's blockbuster movie, The Devil Wears Prada. 

I get annoyed when people use the word "iconic" to describe every single thing that is remotely good or has been around for more than five years. But using the term for the original Prada is actually appropriate. The lines and looks from the movie have so cemented themselves into the cultural zeitgeist, that to this day, most movie-goers will know what you mean if you snootily whisper "that's all" or label anything blue as "cerulean." The film unexpectedly made a lot of money, earned Meryl and Oscar nomination, and opened a series of doors for her in her late fifties that led to one of the best decades of screen performances any actor has ever delivered. 

With that comes enormous expectations for the quality of a sequel. Rumblings began shortly after the first movie about trying to recapture the magic. Streep and her co-stars have said in interviews during their global press tour recently that the timing and/or script had never felt right. Until now. 

Twenty years after the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 finds Miranda Priestly (Streep) still at the top of Runway magazine. But in an age where print media is drawing its last breath, the company's ad-drawing power isn't on the unshakable ground it used to be. Couple that with bad press related to running a piece that failed to vet a brand that uses sweatshop labor, and Miranda's grip on the company, and a big promotion she's seeking, hang in the balance. 

I'm going to pause for a second to say that I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about the plot. For one thing, I find it tedious, and secondly, anyone reading this is likely not going to need a big recap. But suffice it to say that Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), recently fired from her job as a journalist, is hired at Runway as the features editor to improve the magazine's image with a series of well-written articles. Still desperate for ad dollars, Miranda and her right-hand man, Nigel (Stanley Tucci), seek advertising dollars from Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) a former assistant at Runway who is now an executive at luxury  brand, Dior.

         

Things improve for the magazine when Andy lands a "holy grail" interview with the super rich ex of a tech billionaire, only for Miranda to miss out on her seemingly in-the-bag promotion when her boss, Irv, dies at his own birthday party. Irv's son is a stereotypical bro who plans to gut the budget of Runway, so Andy and Emily concoct a plan for Emily's boyfriend (played by a hilarious Justin Theroux) to buy Runway and keep Miranda at the helm. Only problem is that Emily planned to fire Miranda after her boyfriend buys the magazine so that she can run it herself. Then Miranda and Andy hatch a plan which ends up in the aforementioned high-profile interviewee beating Emily and her boyfriend to the punch in not only buying Runway, but the entire publishing conglomerate that owns Runway, Elias-Clarke. Oh, and this "ex" who bought the company just happened to be the former wife of Emily's insufferable boyfriend. Miranda gets her big promotion, Andy stays on at Runway, she and Emily sort of become friends, and we learn that it was Nigel who got Andy the job as features editor at Runway in the first place. 

Whew. My first reaction was just that I was happy to be seeing Meryl in a movie again, especially one that revisits such a special character. That has a downside too, however, as I, like I imagine many of us, have an idea in our minds of what Miranda and the rest of the cast should be like or stay like. Miranda 2.0 seemed a little lighter, a little hammier, a little more beat down than in the original. I have to remind myself that it would be dull if Meryl played her the exact same way she did twenty years ago. People live lives, they have experiences, they get older, they gain (some?) perspective. It was probably a tricky undertaking for the production for how to provide fans enough throwbacks to the original while still making it fresh. The good news is that in focusing the story essentially around the plight of journalists and journalism, the film felt fresh and like it had something worthwhile to say beyond bitchy one-liners and monologues about how fashion is more important than we might think. 

The main cast was fantastic. They all felt honest to their original characters while still showcasing some level of change. All the celebrity cameos were small enough that it didn't become distracting or feel too gimmicky. The scenes were beautifully shot, particularly the sequences in Milan. I commented after the movie that the sequel was more fast-paced and included what felt like a lot more scenes than the original. This seemed to fit with the way we take in media these days, where many of us can barely focus more than a few seconds on anything before scrolling to the next page or simply tuning out. 

My biggest takeaway from this film has pretty much already been shared in previous posts. I didn't want it to be a panned disaster. I'm not one who longs for sequels or repeats when it comes to Meryl's acting career. He recent work in Only Murders in the Building, and the upcoming possibilities of a third go-around for Mamma Mia! and Big Little Lies don't excite me. The very genesis of my enormous admiration and interest in Meryl and her work lies in the litany of varied characters she regularly and consistently portrays for us all. Not that she can't and doesn't do an exceptional job in advancing or developing characters she in any way repeats. And I'm of course thrilled that the box office total and favorable reviews for Prada 2 can only aid in getting things she'd be interested in involving herself in green-lit. But my thrill after a night out to see Meryl in a new movie is ever so slightly dulled by the fact that for the most part, I went in having a very good idea of exactly what I would be getting. 

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" projected to earn $180 million worldwide in weekend opening

Deadline is reporting that The Devil Wears Prada 2 is on track to earn upwards of $180 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Domestic predictions put it at $73-80 million. That's a lot of money, and while it's a sequel, it's rather staggering for a leading lady who will turn 77 in two months. 

I hate to harp on the age thing, but it really is remarkable. Not unlike the somewhat unexpected success of the original movie back in 2006, we just don't see female-driven films as consistently at the top of the box office, much less those led by women over 55. Also like the last film, I hope that the financial and possibly critical success of the sequel (the review embargo is lifted later today) will, as director Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) was quoted as saying, will render Meryl "besieged with offers." 

The scripts for which she could realistically star are likely fewer than twenty years ago, but maybe not. Perhaps some of them are just sitting in a drawer somewhere waiting to be green-lit when the right star decides to lend her box-office clout to the project. It's exciting to look forward to that possibility. Because like you all know, I most enjoy when we get to see Meryl in new and complex roles. 

Americans can already see the movie tomorrow (April 30). Due to my own personal schedule, I'll be attending "opening night" on Friday. Expect my review to be posted by the next morning. 

Happy watching!

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" premieres in New York City

Meryl was in attendance for the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 at Lincoln Center in New York City tonight. 

She was of course joined by other members of the cast, in particular the three other mains of Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. 

The whole crew looks great, although Blunt's dress is a little out there for me. I was actually able to watch a bit of the red carpet on Disney+. It was nice to be able to start it late and fast forward through a bunch of fluff. Red carpet interviews are always so tedious. 

I think there is a review embargo for the movie in place until maybe next Wednesday. But maybe we'll gets some "reactions" on Twitter, for example, even if they're not full-on reviews. It'll be nice just to get some minor feedback on how the sequel holds up. 

The press tour has been far more extensive than I thought it would be, as far as Meryl's participation is concerned. They started in Mexico City, went to Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, now New York, will be headed to London next and then L.A. Meryl said in an interview today that she'll be in a body bag by the time it's all done. They're really pushing this hard, and I hope it pays off at the box office. Of course I already have plans to see it opening night on May 1. Can't wait!

Final trailer for "The Devil Wears Prada 2"

20th Century Fox has released the final trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2:

I realize they don't want to give away the plot too much, but we did get a little more sense of what the thrust of the movie is. Miranda/Runway has a scandal, Andy is brought in to help cover it up in some way, and her friends urge her to write a sort of tell-all exposé on her. They're cutting so many clips into the trailer that it's a little tough to tell how good this is going to be as an actual movie. Of course they have to include some throwbacks to the original movie, but that can only be interesting to a limited degree. Emily seems the most like her original character. Miranda seems more open or light in some way. Hard to put a finger on exactly. They did seem to show quite a bit more of Anne Hathaway in this final trailer as well. 

I maintain that Meryl would not have been particularly interested in revisiting this character and world had the script not at least been decent. We'll never going to fully know until we see it, which is only in three and a half weeks! I really hope this isn't a huge disappointment. I'm counting on the movie being a boost to Meryl's upcoming project opportunities. I think as long as it's not complete shit there is enough good will carrying over from how popular the first film was for people to get their butts into the theater at least one or two times. Can't wait! 

Netflix picks up "The Corrections"

I am actually kind of shocked to see this news today. Of all the projects in the pipeline for Meryl (The Corrections, Useful Idiots, the Joni Mitchell biopic, Mamma Mia! 3), I would've guessed that The Corrections was the most likely to have fallen by the wayside. We have heard zero about it since it was first announced with Meryl being attached way back in September of 2024. Until today. 

Netflix has announced that they have picked up the series, with Cord Jefferson (director and writer of American Fiction, which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay) attached to direct all episodes. As previously announced, author Jonathan Franzen is penning the script based on his 2001 best-selling novel. Streep is listed as one of the executive producers, which is unusual for her. With the announcement of a streamer being attached, as well as a director, this is about as close as it gets to being a sure thing until we actually see pics of her on set. 

It's interesting that Netflix is making a concerted push to produce "prestige projects." Their new VP, Nora Skinner (who came over from HBO in 2024), has apparently been deliberately focusing on this type of project acquisition for the streamer. The next thing to watch for is casting updates! 

If I were to guess, I would think filming for this would be late fall or early 2027, as much of the story takes place around the Christmas holidays.

Story tagline from Deadline:

Based on Franzen’s National Book Award-winning novel, The Corrections is a sharply comic portrait of a Midwestern family whose three unmoored adult siblings desperately resist their mother’s wish for one last Christmas together – each undone by the delusional ambitions that were supposed to save them from becoming their parents.

Streep and Hathaway begin worldwide press tour for "The Devil Wears Prada 2"

It was perhaps a bit dumb of me to think that Meryl wasn't going to do like weeks and weeks of promotion for the upcoming Devil Wears Prada sequel. I had in my mind that she'd do some press junkets and a handful of talk shows in the U.S. in the week or two leading up to its May 1 wide release. As if this isn't like one of the biggest (if not the biggest) movie events of the year. How wrong I was. 

Meryl and her co-star Anne Hathway began what is going to be a month-long whirlwind of press and premieres in Mexico City yesterday. They follow that with Seoul, Shanghai, New York and London. I don't know if Meryl's ever done that global of a campaign before. I know she was in Japan for Mamma Mia!, but she's also never quite been in a position where is quite this much anticipation for a film, due to the original's iconic status in popular culture at this point. Already people are talking about the fashion and how great Meryl looks. I have to agree, particularly as a healthcare provider who works daily with patients over 75. It's remarkable to me how good Meryl's posture is, how youthful her gait pattern is, and how adeptly she seems to be able to navigate wearing heels. That's pretty rare for someone who turns 77 in two months. 

Of course, with the month of April likely filled with responsibilities for the promotion of Prada, Useful Idiots never got underway. I'm getting pretty pessimistic about at this point. Sigourney Weaver, who was cast alongside Meryl had been quoted as saying they were making it in the beginning of 2026. That window has passed. I suppose they could commence filming in May after Streep is done with the Prada tour. Things could get tight if the Joni Mitchell biopic comes to fruition and Cameron Crowe wants to film this year as well. But I could see that starting late summer or early fall. And then there's also Big Little Lies season 3, which could start anywhere from this fall to early 2027 (and while it seems to me that 2027 might be more likely I have to admit my prediction have been poor as of late so it's anyone's guess at this point). The Corrections is probably dead at this point, but again, who knows? What a wonderful problem to have when there are all these announced projects and we're wondering when Meryl might be able to fit them in! I just would really like her to star in a couple of new/original projects soon, which is why I'm pining for Idiots/Joni/Corrections.  

Time will tell. Until then, enjoy these stills of the beautiful co-stars on their press tour. 

Streep likely to feature in season 3 of "Big Little Lies"

Author Liane Moriarty's follow-up novel to Big Little Lies, entitled Big Little Truths, is scheduled for publication this August. In a new article from Variety, we learn more details of the plot of the novel, which is to serve as the template for the upcoming third season of the HBO show. It was announced last fall that a third season was greenlit, and that the story would jump ahead ten years. All the kids will be in high school now, with a new set of problems for themselves and, of course, their doting parents. 

In the article, a partial synopsis of the story specifically includes Meryl's character from season 2, that of Mary Louise, the mother of Alexander Skarsgård's character, who of course was killed at the end of season 1 (spoiler, but seriously how have you not already seen this show?):

Celeste’s mother-in-law, Mary Louise, is behaving oddly — is it old-age forgetfulness and forthrightness, or something more sinister?

So we know that Mary Louise is in the book, and therefore highly likely to be included in the script. I have a feeling that Moriarty, considering she wrote the character of Mary Louise specifically for Meryl (who's real first name is Mary Louise as we all know), wouldn't have included Mary Louise in the new book if it hadn't already been worked out that Meryl would be willing to reprise the role in a third and (likely) final season. 

If they want this to actually be released exactly ten years prior to the first season, it will have to be ready by the end of 2027. That suggests that filming likely needs to get underway by the end of this year, maybe early 2027. It's a nice problem these days to have Meryl's name mentioned in so many possible upcoming projects. I'm not a huge fan that four of them are sort of repeats (Prada 2, Big Little Lies, a potentially third installment of Mamma Mia!, and yet another tedious season of Only Murders in the Building). Which is why I'm so interested in whether or not original projects like Useful Idiots (possibly filming this month??), the Joni Mitchell biopic, and The Corrections will get off the ground. The Gisèle Pelicot role might be a far-fetched rumor, but holy cow would that be a character to unpack.  

I'm just glad there's some reasonable likelihood that we'll see Meryl on screen over the next two years. Hopefully a couple of them will carry with them a bit more meat than a simple rehashing of well-known characters. I suspect Mery may be hungry for that. 

P.S. People who read this blog probably notice that I generally don't care too much about Meryl's voice projects. And it has perhaps been remiss of me to not post anything about the success of the animated film Hoppers. It's got a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic, and has already made $177 millinon in just two weeks in the theaters. There was also a recent article in which Emma Mackey, who's starring in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Narnia film (Narnia: The Magician's Nephew), gives an interview for an Italian magazine and suggests that Meryl is indeed involved in the project. All reports have only ever suggested that her role would be voicing the lion Aslan. There was buzz that after delays that it was possible that Streep wasn't necessarily attached anymore. I honestly didn't pay that close of attention to it, as I couldn't have really cared less whether or not Meryl participated. But this seems to suggest pretty strongly that she is indeed involved. The Narnia film is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 26 of this year, after which it will be released on Netflix on Christmas Day. 

New trailer for "The Devil Wears Prada 2"

They've released a second trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Miranda looks a little more Miranda-like in this second trailer. Less of that "I can't remember you" stuff that made many of us wonder if there was some kind of dementia angle going on. A few snarky one-liners that is much more in line with what we know of her character from the original.

Not a lot of new content that tells us more about the story. Meryl looks amazing in all her looks. We also got a quick glimpse of Kenneth Branagh, who player her husband in the film. Tickets are already going on sale for May 1, which is coming up soon! 

Streep rumored to be in talks to portray Gisèle Pelicot in TV series

The French news magazine Marianne revealed this morning that Meryl is in talks to star in a TV adaptation of Gisèle Pelicot's memoir Et la joie de vivre (the English translation version has the title A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides). Her name was only vaguely familiar to me, and when I looked her up, I realized I was completely ignorant her her story. 

Pelicot came into the news in 2024 when she waived anonymity during a trial against her husband and other men for systematically raping her over the course of several years while she was drugged. She has since become a feminist icon in her native France and abroad. 

From the limited info we have, this is in very early stages, as Pelicot's memoir was only released this month. Some of the online comments I've read on this news are not particularly supportive of a screen adaptation of Pelicot's story, voicing concern over sensationalizing what was not doubt a horrific and traumatic experience. I can't imagine, however, that any adaptation could happen without Pelicot's consent. She would have to sell the rights to the adaptation, and I expect that it it's being developed in the United States, that Meryl Streep would be a name that would draw attention. And this is the kind of role that Meryl tends to be drawn to, with it's real-world implications and focus on drawing attention to stories or causes she feels are important to showcase.  

If we consider logistics of this actually coming to fruition, if the book was just released, I suspect that the script is not even done or possibly not even started. Were it to be developed quickly, maybe this would be ready for filming at the end of 2026. But I tend to think this wouldn't go into production until well into 2027. It's a nice problem to have if we're now worried about when Meryl is going to fill in all her announced projects. Will Useful Idiots indeed start filming next month (I couldn't help but wonder how that could be affected by the untimely and tragic death of Streep's close friend, Martin Short's daughter this week)? Will the Joni Mitchell project start this summer? This fall? Will The Corrections suffer its third production debacle and still not see the light of day? The latter project would seem to fit a scheduling timeline for filming end of this year, which would bring us to two years after Meryl's participation was announced. I still would really love that to happen. 

All other considerations aside, I imagine that if the Pelicot project does eventually happen, that we'll hear Meryl doing a French accent. Although I suspect that most of the action would be in France where they would probably just be speaking French. But I'm sure they'll want it to seem French and not just have everyone speaking in American accents. I'm such a sucker for hearing Meryl change her voice. And of course, her look. 

"Mamma Mia! 3" confirmed?

Deadline shared an article this morning with a quote from NBCUniversal Chairman Donna Langley, saying at the BAFTA's today that "there will be a Mamma Mia! 3." Adding that she and the producer of the original musical, Judy Craymer, are "talking about it," and "If Meryl Streep would like to come back, we'll find a way to bring her back."

Of course, there have been buzzings about a threequel for years now. But this is the most definitive info or quote I've seen or read about it. My guess is that yes, it's going to happen. The only question remains is whether or not Meryl wants to join, and if she does, what that would look like. She had a very minor role in the 2018 sequel, and as we know, was...dead. So the "way to bring her back" has to be centered around how the character of Donna could be featured, or if there would be some twin thing. Who knows. Regardless, if Meryl passed on this I would not be disappointed. One fun thing is that if this were to get going, it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider a 2027 filming schedule, which would have all three films released ten years apart. 

More to come I imagine. 

First full trailer released for "The Devil Wears Prada 2"

The first full trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 was just released:

There's not a lot we can glean from this in regard to the story. If you weren't already familiar with the original I feel like someone would have absolutely no idea what this movie is about. But I imagine that's sort of what they're banking on, knowing that people appetites for this film are strong and all they/we really want is to them all together. 

All the actors look great, their clothes of course, particularly Miranda's, look stunning. Meryl looks great, if really thin. Of course it was sort of the character, but in your 70s, it can look a little harsh. It was also a little weird how Miranda apparently didn't remember Andrea. I guess it's supposed to read as she never thought about Andrea after she left twenty years ago, but it comes across almost like she's a bit ditzy. I know it's just a trailer, and they'll probably release a second one that might be a bit more serious or give us a sense of the plot. Miranda just seems far less imposing than in the first. And maybe the character is! Maybe she's on the defensive or feels her position is not as it used to be and her confidence and presence are dimmed. 

I'll have to let this percolate for a while and give it a few more watches. Regardless, I can't imagine this film isn't going to do huge numbers at the box office, and it's just great to see Meryl in something big again!

Rolling Stone confirms Streep's participation in Joni Mitchell biopic (and some new set pics from TDWP2)

Rolling Stone is reporting that music producer Clive Davis confirmed Meryl's casting in an upcoming Joni Mitchell biopic to be directed by Cameron Crowe. From the article:

During the annual party held at the Beverly Hilton, Davis was introducing some of the A-listers in attendance and landed on Mitchell, who he said would be portrayed by Streep in Cameron Crowe’s long-in-the-works biopic. Rumors about Streep’s casting first surfaced in July 2024, with the Oscar-winning actress playing an older version of Mitchell in the film, while Anya Taylor-Joy was later rumored to portray the singer in her younger days; Taylor-Joy’s casting has still not been confirmed. When reached for comment, Crowe referred Rolling Stone to Davis’ announcement. Reps for Streep and Mitchell did not reply to a request for comment.

On their own, Davis's words might just be part of the rumor mill. But what strikes me is that Crowe was not only reached for comment, but said that he referred Rolling Stone back to Davis's announcement, which, to me, essentially means he's not only not denying it, but affirming it. Crowe seemed pretty confident in an interview last year when he said he was going to "do it next year" (meaning film it in 2026). And there was that coy response from Anya-Taylor Joy about her participation last fall as well. I'll look forward to additional and possibly even more solid confirmation, however. 

In other news, Vogue released a handful of "first look" stills from the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada sequel. And damn, Meryl look good. 

"Useful Idiots" rumored to begin filming in Toronto in March

The timing of his headline is coincidental, as just yesterday I was feeling pessimistic about Useful Idiots, having had so little news about it since November. This morning TheCinemaholic released an article stating that filming was slated to begin in Toronto in March. 

I was happy to see any news, but I'm cautious due to the source. I'm not super familiar with these guys, but the bit of sleuthing I did did not suggest that they were total crackpots who simply spew rumors. But they're not Deadline, or Variety, or The Hollywood Reported, either. A couple of things make me think there's something to this. One, it's specific to Toronto. Films that take place in New York are often filmed in Toronto as a stand-in because it's cheaper. The March start time fall in line with Sigourney Weaver having previously been quoted as saying she's playing Meryl's best friend in a movie that will film at the beginning of 2026. March is still first quarter, AND it's possible that they could get going before that, too. 

If it does end up starting in March, and if it's a six to ten-week shoot, I imagine that would get a little tricky with the likely press Meryl will do leading up to the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on May 1. But I suspect that they're pros and coordinating schedules, and that Meryl and her team can coordinate times or even a contract that would carve out the necessary time she might need for promotion. Sometimes those interviews are done back to back with many journalists from many outlets sort of just coming in one after another to get their sound bites. So, the promotional aspect as a conflict doesn't seem like a huge factor to me. 

I'll look forward to one of the big trades confirming start dates, and of course additional casting news. The further out this goes as far as a filming date, the less likely I see it as a possibility that it would be released in 2026. From looking into Joseph Cedar's other film projects, he seems to often film early in the year, takes quite a while in post, and releases the following calendar year. I wouldn't mind that so much. More to look forward to! 

Looking ahead in 2026

Happy New Year, everyone! I thought I'd pause my watching of Heated Rivalry on a loop for a few minutes to prognosticate a bit on what we might expect to see from Meryl in 2026. 

Let's do a brief recap. The only real thing we've seen from her in four years is a supporting role on Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. She did Emmy and Globe nominations for the first season of it she was in (and won a Critics' Choice Award), but other than that, it has been pretty barren for us Streepers. That all changed last summer when she began shooting The Devil Wears Prada 2. The release date is May 1, so even if nothing else happens with other projects, we have that to look forward to exactly four months from today. 

But I want the other projects too! This fall it was announced that she would star alongside Sigourney Weaver in Joseph Cedar's Useful Idiots. Signs were pointing to an early 2026 shooting schedule, but we haven't had any updates since November. The role is a lead one and the film itself sounds interesting, so I really hope that comes together. Rumors have swirled for a while about Meryl portraying an older version of Joni Mitchell in a biopic directed by Cameron Crowe. Without confirming any casting, Crowe confirmed that he was expecting to begin shooting that film sometime in 2026. Meryl's name has been removed from the IMDb page for Greta Gerwig's Narnia film. I don't even think Meryl was officially confirmed for that anyway. And there's always The Corrections, which we've heard nothing about since it was announced as being optioned for (another try at) a limited series way back in September of 2024. 

I could see this year being as straightforward as Meryl filming a couple of episodes of Only Murders and then doing a bunch of press for Prada in the spring, to her doing all of the above projects within a ten-month period. If Useful Idiots gets off the ground, I feel like it wouldn't be a super long shoot. Same with the Mitchell biopic. If the Corrections happened, I would imagine that filming late fall or winter, considering it's meant to take place leading up to Christmastime. I hope all these projects happen. 

A key factor could be the box office success of Prada 2. If that movie does super well in theaters, which it definitely has the potential to do, that could open a lot of pockets for funding/greenlighting projects for Meryl. It might, for example, get a streaming service to sign on to The Corrections. And just like it did after the first Prada twenty years ago, where Meryl was "besieged with offers," to a likely somewhat lesser degree, Meryl might find herself with a bounty of opportunities, should she choose to say yes to them. This is what I really hope happens. 

No matter what additional projects she joins in the near or far future, we'll get to revisit an iconic character this spring. And if the movie is good enough, there's a narrative for Meryl to break he own record and score a 22nd Oscar nomination for reprising Miranda Priestly.