Recasting 2025 (supporting): "Weapons"

When I completed my original recasting project in 2021, and then the supporting series a year later, both of the final entries were roles that won the original actress an Oscar. Perhaps it's fitting that I conclude this updated series with Weapons. The great Amy Madigan of course secured the supporting win for her thrilling performance as Aunt Gladys.

With the exception of my recasting addendum to include The Silence of the Lambs, I don't think I've selected a horror film for this series. Or really anything that's sort of supernatural in theme. But I just couldn't pass up this role. The premise of the movie is that all but one kid from an entire class disappears at the same time in the middle of the night, running from their homes with their arms spread wide. It turns out that Aunt Gladys, who is a witch, had been invited to the home of Alex (the lone child who did not run away) by his parents, only to bewitch them and to force Alex to collect items from his classmates for Aunt Gladys to then bewitch the kids, effectively feeding off their energy. There are a handful of side stories that all play out from different characters' points of view (Julia Garner as the class's teacher, Josh Brolin as the determined father of one of the missing children), with the story culminating in Aunt Glady's ritual being used against her and the kids all ripping her to pieces. 

One of the creepiest things is when someone you know or suspect is sinister acts almost excessively nicely. It's a manipulative and disarming tactic that so often works because other people have such a hard time being anything close to unkind to them, even if they're suspicious of said person's intentions. Madigan showcases this brilliantly in her interaction with the principal (Benedict Wong). One thing I'll mention is that we know Meryl isn't historically thrilled with portraying witches. Although she played the Witch in Into the Woods, she has stated that since it's a Sondheim musical it's a "complicated" witch, and therefore okay to play, versus the "oh I'm over 40 now, women are old and ugly after that age so these are the parts I'm going to get offered" kind of witch. Aunt Gladys is a little bit of the latter, but I'd argue that her character, particularly in the context of this story, has more layers to her beyond simply wanting to hurt people. I'm reminded of a Vanity Fair interview from writer/director Zach Cregger, where he stated that he gave Madigan the option of choosing between two options for Gladys's origin: 

...one where she was a regular person using witchcraft to prevent her dying from an incurable condition, and one where she was instead an immortal creature performing an approximate simulacrum of a human being, but that he did not ask her which one she chose.

I think Meryl could empathize with the former example; a human being trying to extend her life by whatever means she knows, even if it happens to hurt others. That could be an interesting complication to try to work out in a character. I of course don't know which version Madigan chose (I don't know if she's ever commented on it), but if I were to guess, I imagine it was the human example. 

Weapons did extremely well with critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic). The box office receipts were rather staggering as well, grossing $270 million worldwide against a $38 million budget. Horror sort of feels like it's having an auteur resurgence in recent years, which makes the prospect of the news from about a year ago at this time about director JT Mollner having penned a horror script for Meryl. Given the right character, I would be thrilled to see Meryl cast in a true, smart horror film. 

Below you can see the full updated lists of both lead and supporting recasting selections, including the number of roles originated by specific actresses. Hopefully I'll update again in another five years!

Lead:

1976: Hester Street (Gitl) 

1977: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Jillian Guiler) 

1978: Julia (Julia) 

1979: The Rose (Mary Rose Foster) 

1980: American Gigolo (Michelle Stratton) 

1981: Reds (Louise Bryant) 

1982: Frances (Frances Farmer) 

1983: Romancing the Stone (Joan Wilder) 

1984: A Passage to India (Adela Quested) 

1985: Agnes of God (Dr. Martha Livingston) 

1986: Crimes of the Heart (Rebecca Magrath/Babe Botrell) 

1987: Anna (Anna) 

1988: Gorillas in the Mist (Dian Fossey) 

1989: Dangerous Liaisons (Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil) 

1990: The Grifters (Lilly Dillon) 

1991: Fried Green Tomatoes (Evelyn Couch) 

1992: Blue Sky (Carly Marshall) 

1993. The Piano (Ada McGrath) 

1994: Dolores Claiborne (Dolores Claiborne) 

1995: Copycat (Helen Hudson) 

1996: Dead Man Walking (Sister Helen Prejean) 

1997: As Good as It Gets (Carol Connelly) 

1998: Primary Colors (Susan Stanton) 

1999: American Beauty (Carolyn Burnham) 

2000: Requiem for a Dream (Sara Goldfarb) 

2001: The Contender (Laine Billings Hanson) 

2002: In the Bedroom (Ruth Fowler) 

2003: Panic Room (Meg Altman) 

2004: Vera Drake (Vera Drake) 

2005: Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth I) 

2006: Notes on a Scandal (Barbara Covett) 

2007: Frozen River (Ray Eddy) 

2008: Grey Gardens (Edith Bouvier Beale) 

2009: The Last Station (Sophia Tolstaya) 

2010: The Kids Are All Right (Nicole Allgood) 

2011: The Debt (Rachel Singer) 

2012: Saving Mr. Banks (P.L. Travers) 

2013: The Hundred-Foot Journey (Madame Mallory) 

2014: Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge) 

2015: Hello, My Name is Doris (Doris Miller) 

2016: Julieta (Julieta) 

2017: Feud (Joan Crawford) 

2018: The Wife (Joan Castleman) 

2019: Catherine the Great (Catherine the Great) 

2020: Nomadland (Fern)

2021: Mass (Linda)

2022: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (Ada Harris)

2023: Nyad (Diana Nyad)

2024: The Room Next Door (Martha)

2025: The Summer Book (Grandmother)

Roles by originating actress:

Helen Mirren (5)

Jessica Lange (4)

Kathy Bates (2)

Anette Bening (3)

Glenn Close (3)

Frances McDormand (2)

Sissy Spacek (2)

Emma Thompson (2)

Sigourney Weaver (2)

Joan Allen (1)

Ellen Burstyn (1)

Judy Davis (1)

Judi Dench (1)

Ann Dowd (1)

Melinda Dillon (1)

Sally Field (1)

Jane Fonda (1)

Jodie Foster (1)

Helen Hunt (1)

Holly Hunter (1)

Anjelica Huston (1)

Lauren Hutton (1)

Carole Kane (1)

Diane Keaton (1)

Sally Kirkland (1)

Melissa Leo (1)

Lesley Manville (1)

Bette Midler (1)

Vanessa Redgrave (1)

Susan Sarandon (1)

Imelda Staunton (1)

Emma Suárez (1)

Tilda Swinton (1)

Kathleen Turner (1)

Supporting:

1976: Marathon Man (Elsa Opel) 

1977: Jesus of Nazareth (Mary the mother of Jesus) 

1978: Coming Home (Vi Munson) 

1979: All that Jazz (Angelique, The Angel of Death) 

1980: Ragtime (Mother) 

1981: On Golden Pond (Chelsea Thayer Wayne) 

1982: Annie (Grace Farrell) 

1983: The Big Chill (Meg Jones) 

1984: Witness (Rachel Lapp)

1985: Clue (Miss Scarlet)

1986: The Clan of the Cave Bear (Iza) 

1987: Empire of the Sun (Mrs. Victor)

1988: Working Girl (Katharine Parker) 

1989: Parenthood (Helen Buckman)

1990: Goodfellas (Karen Hill) 

1991: The Prince of Tides (Lila Wingo Newbury) 

1992: Damage (Ingrid Thompson-Fleming)

1993: In the Name of the Father (Gareth Peirce)

1994: Bullets Over Broadway (Helen Sinclair) 

1995: Rob Roy (Mary MacGregor) 

1996: The Birdcage (Louise Keeley)

1997: The Ice Storm (Janey Carver)

1998: Pleasantville (Betty Parker) 

1999: Tea with Mussolini (Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan)  

2000: Almost Famous (Elaine Miller) 

2001: The Royal Tenenbaums (Etheline Tenenbaum) 

2002: White Oleander (Ingrid Magnussen)

2003: The Station Agent (Olivia Harris)

2004: Sideways (Maya)

2005: Alexander (Queen Olympias)

2006: Children of Men (Miriam)

2007: Hairspray (Velma Von Tussle)

2008: Rachel Getting Married (Abby Buchman)

2009: Animal Kingdom (Janine "Smurf" Cody) 

2010: The Fighter (Alice Ecklund-Ward)

2011: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Harriet Vanger)

2012: Mildred Pierce (Lucy Gessler) 

2013: Top of the Lake (GJ)

2014: Snowpiercer (Minister Mason) 

2015: Trumbo (Hedda Hopper) 

2016: The Wizard of Lies (Ruth Madoff)

2017: I, Tonya (LaVona Golden) 

2018: Sharp Objects (Adora Crellin)

2019: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Marilyn Miglin) 

2020: Succession (Nan Pierce)

2021: Mare of Eastown (Helen Fahey)

2022: Everything Everywhere All at Once (Deirdre Beaubeirdre)

2023: Women Talking (Agata Friesen)

2024: Queer (Dr. Cotter)

2025: Weapons (Aunt Gladys)

Roles by originating actress:

Michelle Pfeiffer (3) 

Dianne Wiest (3) 

Patricia Clarkson (2) 

Jessica Lange (2) 

Melissa Leo (2) 

Miranda Richardson (2) 

Sigourney Weaver (2) 

Joan Allen (1) 

Lorraine Bracco (1) 

Cher (1) 

Jamie Lee Curtis (1) 

Pam Ferris (1) 

Jane Fonda (1) 

Holly Hunter (1) 

Olivia Hussey (1) 

Anjelica Huston (1) 

Judith Ivey (1)

Allison Janney (1) 

Angelina Jolie (1) 

Cherry Jones (1) 

Marthe Keller (1) 

Judith Light (1) 

Amy Madigan (1)

Virginia Madsen (1) 

Lesley Manville (1)

Frances McDormand (1) 

Kelly McGillis (1) 

Penelope Milford (1) 

Helen Mirren (1) 

Mary Kay Place (1) 

Pamela Reed (1) 

Ann Reinking (1) 

Joely Richardson (1) 

Jean Smart (1) 

Mary Steenburgen (1) 

Tilda Swinton (1) 

Emma Thompson (1) 

Lesley Ann Warren (1) 

Debra Winger (1) 

Jackie Weaver (1)

Recasting 2025: "The Summer Book"

After it was announced that Glenn Close was set to star in an adaptation of Tove Jannson's novel The Summer Book. I decided to get a copy from the library and read it. My interest was of course the fact that it was an adaptation with one of its central characters being of a certain age. It was a quick read, and I have to admit that I was a little curious as to how the hell they were going to adapt it to a movie. But they did!

The "story" (and I put that in quotes because there is very little plot to the story) surrounds a three-generation family: Sophia (Emily Matthews), her father (Anders Danielsen Lie), and her grandmother (Close), as they spend the summer together on an island in the Gulf of Finland in the aftermath of Sophia's mother's passing. They never really talk in specifics about how they're all coping or grieving. I think I read somewhere that it's more about the tone of the performances and cinematography than any drama in the screenplay. And wow is it a beautifully shot movie. The setting very much feels like it's own character in the story, which is sort of necessary with how little plot there is. Again, I could not find a clip of an actual scene from the movie, so I'm including one of the trailers here. 

One thing that makes me wonder about whether or not Meryl would've been interested in this role is how old it's played. Close is only two years older than Meryl, but if we compare this role with Miranda Priestly, the two actors are basically the same age when they did their filming. And yes, Grandmother is not a New York fashion executive, where everything is all polished and put together. Meryl certainly doesn't shy away from roles that are not glamourous. But she does often play roles where the character is at times ten to fifteen years younger than she is. Partly it's because she can. And partly, I imagine, it's because there just are just fewer roles for women who are truly meant to be pushing 80. The longer you can believably portray someone younger as a woman in Hollywood, the longer you're likely to do it, because it's probably more likely that directors/producers/casting directors can realistically envision you in the role. 

Close does a beautiful job in the role, pairing with Matthews as they explore the natural terrain around the island. They get dirty, grow things, make things, celebrate midsommar, navigate some dangers. It's a tender juxtaposition of age and youth, and as mentioned above, it is so beautifully shot with so many of the scenes taking place out doors. Meryl isn't in a lot of movies that feel sort of meditative and quiet. This would have been an interesting and fun opportunity. And she would've gotten to do a Finnish accent!

The film did fairly well with critics, sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and a respectable 62 on Metacritic. Glenn close garnered the most favorable notices of all. But my guess is that the movie was so quiet (box office of $2 million) that it just didn't gain any traction with awards bodies. Still a lovely watch, regardless. 

Recasting 2024 (supporting): "Queer"

I would love nothing more than for Meryl to be in a Luca Guadagnino movie. I doubt we'll ever get to see it, but part of the fun of this recasting project is getting to imagine her in roles with directors or other actors that she's never worked with. I was unaware of Guadagnino prior to 2017's Call Me by Your Name. I had really enjoyed the book, so I was excited that the movie was excellent as well. Anytime I see a queer storyline with a great screenplay and top-notch actors, it's a delight. 

So, too, was his 2024 movie Queer. The movie is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs's 1985 novella, which follows an American expatriate named William Lee (Daniel Craig) in Mexico City in the 1950s. He becomes infatuated with a younger man named Eugene Allerton (Craig Starkey). Lee is addicted to opioids, and he invites Eugene to join him on a trip to South America in search of a plant called yagé, which is said to provide telepathic abilities. Lee hears about a medical doctor in the Ecuacor who might be able to help him find the yagé, which is where we are introduced to the very eccentric Dr. Cotter, portrayed by the great Leslie Manville. I unfortunately couldn't find a single clip of Manville in the role online, but there's a little bit of it in the second half of the original trailer:

It's a very quirky character, but Manville shines pretty brightly in the scenes we get of her. Dr. Cotter comes off at first as a possible lunatic, but we learn that she's actually a brilliant researcher who has cultivated a close relationship with the native people in the jungle. She has tons of yagé and she brews some for the guys, which causes them to hallucinate in a very graphic and mesmerizing scene. 

Lee doesn't hear from Eugene after they leave South America, and the movie ends with Lee and old man, yearning for and remembering his time with Eugene. So not exactly an uplifting ending. 

I admit that a lot of the appeal for me choosing this role is the fact that it's a Guadagnino movie, not just the character itself. The role actually reminds me (on paper) of Dr. Swenson from the Ann Patchett's novel State of Wonder. But the real similarities between Dr. Cotter and Dr. Swenson sort of end at the fact that they're doctors and that they do research in a South American jungle. But Dr. Cotter is the kind of small character-actress part that we've seen Meryl do. She's taken glorified cameos in The Homesman, Suffragette and The Giver and Little Women. Had she been offered, I wonder if she would've accepted. 

Queer is the kind of film that is easy for me to revisit. Unsurprisingly, it's visually stunning. And I love the setting and styling of that period in Mexico City. The movie did fairly well with critics, earing a 77% o Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. Manville managed to snag a supporting actress nod from the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (so prestigious!), and Craig was nominated for everything except the Academy Award. 

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!