Whenever we're in a sort of lull in casting news for Meryl, I tend to ruminate on possibilities of what might come. As Meryl approaches her 73rd birthday this summer, the options for roles, much less lead roles, are growing slimmer and slimmer. So often biopics don't portray people primarily in their old(er) age. But I suspect there are a handful of reasonable prospects our there still. I'm going to offer a few suggestions below and hope folks will feel right to add any I haven't listed or thought of. I'm purposely leaving Lilly Ledbetter, Diana Nyad and Golda Meir off the list, since pics of them have already been recently cast with other actors.
Source material in general for meaty Streep roles is the key to us seeing her in good stuff and working with great directors. I've recently added a few novels to my to-read list with female protagonists over 60, which after reading I plan to comment on the blog about whether I think they'd be good fits for Meryl, were they adapted to the screen. Maybe Meryl will read my posts and snatch up the rights to one of them before Frances McDormand can swoop in and win her fourth (acting) Oscar it.
Then there's always original screenplays. Like Places, Please. I still think it's weird how completely absent any talk of that project has been since it was first announced almost a year ago now. Hopefully we get some news about what next soon. Of course I'm also curious to learn exactly what Meryl's role will end up being in Extrapolations. Until then, fire away at the biopic role poll.
Happy New Year! As 2021 came to a close, people can't stop talking about Don't Look Up and the film is a big hit for Netflix. It's nice to see that although there were a lot of people who didn't like it, there are a lot of people who do, and it has sparked quite a bit of attention and discussion. It'll be fun to see how it fares in the upcoming months of awards season. SAG nominations come out on the 12th, and I think the cast has a decent shot at an ensemble nod.
Beyond that, the Apple TV+ limited series Extrapolations is apparently already shooting (or maybe is done shooting?). There is still zero information on what Meryl's role is going to be, but it'd be nice if it were substantial in size. Tough to predict when we'll get to see this show, but I'm guessing it'll be the second half of this year, most likely fourth quarter.
And speaking of zero information, that's what we've had about Places, Please since it was announced almost a year ago now that Meryl would be starring in it. I'm sure it's still possible that they'll pull it together. In fact, it seems the type of movie that wouldn't need a lot of time in post, so could reasonably shoot this spring and be released by the end of the year. By the way she and the would-be director, Michael Cristofer, were interviewed about it at the time of the announcement, it seemed like a pretty sure thing. There was obviously a director attached, they had producers (including Meryl, which is rare), and they apparently had a shooting start date planned for summer. Then it was radio silence. Considering that Cristofer has described the role of Lillian Hall as "extraordinary," I hope we get to see Meryl in this.
How about beyond that? There are no new projects that have been revealed which Streep is expected to do. She's likely going to tie her longest streak of not being nominated for an Oscar this year (unless by some miracle she sneaks in for Don't Look Up). We know we'll continue to see her in stuff, but leading roles in things that aren't crap and going to be increasingly difficult to come by. Maybe we will see her producing more in order to ensure she's getting to play things she finds interesting and challenging.
Regardless of what's next, I look forward to a handful of meaty dramas. She's great in comedy of course, but my favorite Meryl is when she's in the deep stuff, which she hasn't done a ton of in recent years. Again the roles have to be there. But knowing that just within the next year we're going to see three biopics alone from women in her age demographic (Helen Mirren as Golda Meir, Patricia Clarkson as Lilly Ledbetter, and Annette Bening as Diana Nyad), it's not like these types of films aren't getting made. I love a good biopic, and it has been four years since she's been in in on (The Post). But I hope her next big role that garners a lot of attention and praise is for an original character. Maybe Places, Please will end up being that one.
Considering this info is coming from Page Six, a bit of salt might need to be taken with it. But there was an article the other day with a few quotes from Fair Pay activist Lilly Ledbetter about Meryl's involvement in her upcoming biopic, Lilly. I'll paraphrase the parts that would likely be of interest to Streepers.
The first item is that Meryl reportedly passed on starring in the role because she felt she was "too old." That's reasonable, considering the actor who was eventually cast, Patricia Clarkson, is ten years younger than Meryl. I've mentioned many times how Meryl can convincingly play characters ten to fifteen years younger than she is, so it's interesting that she'd say this about this particular role. Perhaps there are scenes with flashbacks where Ledbetter is meant to be depicted as someone in her forties, for example. She was hired by Goodyear around the age of forty, and noticed her pay discrepancy around the age of sixty, from what I understand. Fifty to sixty for brief portions is very passable for Meryl. Forty might be pushing it at 72.
The other thing I took note of was when Ledbetter mentioned that Streep was "also booked up for two years." Who knows when this 'two year' time period started. But considering that the film is set to begin filming this month in Georgia (under the direction of Rachel Feldman, who also wrote the script), and that the filmmakers would've been "willing to wait" for Streep had she accepted the role, I wonder if Meryl already has projects in the pipeline with which she expects to be occupied over the next two to three years. I certainly hope that's the case. And if we're being real, it's probably always been the case. We devotees are just often left in the dark unfortunately about what's really churning behind the scenes. These quotes from Ledbetter make me optimistic that we'll see some concrete info about future filming plans (I'm looking at you, Places, Please).
Perhaps the nicest bit in the article is Ledbetter describing Streep as the "godmother" of the film. We know that Feldman had sent Streep a letter attached with the script, and that while Meryl passed on the role, she offered to help out in any way she could, apparently opening the necessary doors for the film to find the light of day. I'll be curious to see if there are future mentions of Meryl's involvement when press junkets take place around the time of the film's release, likely toward the end of next year. Until then, hoping the best for Lilly's production and finish.
I had posted back in February that Meryl was announced as a co-producer of Rachel Feldman's movie, Lilly. It's to be a biopic of Lilly Ledbetter, who's fight for equal pay was passed as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. At the time, I found it strange that Meryl was announced as co-producing, but not that she would be starring. Seemed to be up her ally in regard to baity roles.
Cut to a couple days ago, where an interview was released with Feldman and producer J. Todd Harris about the film's status. There was a specific question for Feldman about how Meryl ended up getting involved, and Feldman's response made it clear about Meryl's potential participation as Lilly:
I wrote her (Meryl) an old-fashioned letter, in her mailbox, simply saying that I had written a screenplay about Lilly Ledbetter and asked if she would consider reading it. In a beautiful email, she wrote back saying she was well aware of how important Lilly's story was. She wanted to read the script but made it clear that she would not want to play the role. She read LILLY and loved it. She told me that she was 100% behind me and asked how she could help. What a remarkable woman!
So I guess that's that. I'd be curious to know why Meryl was so sure about whether or not she'd portray Lilly prior to even reading the script, which she apparently loved. Based on Feldman's response, it seems that was the case (that Meryl declined taking the role before reading it).
I read this Friday and thought to myself, "Oh shoot. It would've been nice to hear confirmation of a lead role for Meryl." I'd been thinking about her current filming of Don't Look Up, where by all accounts her role will be supporting. We don't have real confirmation of her involvement in Damien Chazelle's Babylon at this point, but that too would be supporting. I'd thought for a second, "We haven't seen her in a lead role since The Post in 2017." I had to laugh then, as I realized that that very evening I'd be watching Meryl in a new lead role for the second consecutive day. I felt a little less disappointed then.
Either way, I'll be interested to see the full extent of Meryl's involvement in Lilly. It's an important story and I hope it does end up getting filmed.
Things are very much on hold these days. Our jobs, our activities, the world. That certainly includes the work that takes place among filmmakers. Most, if not all, production has been shut down for film and television due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which certainly affects Meryl too. We already know that The Prom still has a good chance of reaching Netflix by the end of the year. I'm actually surprised that we don't have more news on Steven Soderbergh's HBO Max film, Let Them All Talk. I wouldn't be surprised if we get news this week that it's coming out before May, or that it's not being released until fall. Who knows.
With all this in mind, my mind wanders into the realm of possibility again. Meryl has no future projects "solidified" for production coming up over the next year. Five film roles stand out to me that would potentially be great biopic vehicles. Each of them include a lead character with a very distinct voice, which is Meryl's specialty (and something I personally love witnessing). The fun thing is, all five of the below roles actually have completed scripts, just waiting for that elusive green light. Some food for thought amidst these quiet days.
1. Maria Callas in Master Class
I start with this one because it might be the least likely to happen, knowing that it was probably only a "go" if Mike Nichols were still with us. It might be a stretch age-wise for even Meryl at this point as well. But you never know! She'd get to do a Greek-American accent.
2. Diana Nyad in Nyad
Nyad doesn't necessarily have an accent, per se, but she has a distinct speaking style, and often quotes her adoptive father, who was Greek-Egyptian. I've actually read this script, and Nyad speaks some Spanish in it as well. Knowing the Tokyo Olympics are now pushed to 2021, if this were to film at the end of this year, it would be a great film to release during all the competitive hype of The Games next summer.
3. Lilly Ledbetter in Lilly
I've posted about this in recent weeks. Meryl has backed director Rachel Feldman's script about the fair pay activist, and the film is currently listed as "in production" on IMDb. I continue to maintain that it would be super weird to me that if the role is for someone in Meryl's age demographic, that she wouldn't be the first choice to play her. She'd get to do an Alabaman accent.
4. Susan Boyle (no known title, possibly The Woman I Was Born to Be)
It's been almost seven years since rumors first swirled that Meryl was being courted to play the Scottish star made famous after her 2009 appearance on Britain's Got Talent. Those rumors were bolstered a bit more this past fall when it was revealed that the film, based on Boyle's 2010 memoir, was likely moving ahead within the next year. Boyle was quoted as saying that the woman selected to portray her was a "bit of a surprise," and that she had some say in the casting.
5. Anna Anderson in Duchess
This is likely going to be a new one for people. Anderson was an eccentric Prussian woman who fooled many people into believing she was actually the slain Romanov princes, the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. This film has been in development hell since 2014, when it was announced that Glenn Close would be portraying the title character. It's to a be a dark comedy, during the time Anderson's husband sort of kidnaps her out of her court-ordered retirement home to take her on a honeymoon road trip through Virginia.
I doubt at this point it'll ever happen with Close, and I'm sure people will flip out if Meryl ever "stole" the role. Regardless, it'd be an interesting person to see on screen. I've read that Anderson (born
Franziska Schanzkowska) spoke with what was described by some hospital orderlies as "German with a Russian accent."
For possibly the first time in the history of my blog, I deleted a post. Just a few minutes ago, I had posted about today's news from the Hollywood Reporter that Meryl had decided to co-produce the film Lilly, a biopic on Lilly Ledbetter, set to be directed by Rachel Feldman. Ledbetter is known for suing her employer, Goodyear, for equal pay.
Cut to me only realizing after I published the post that Ledbetter's fight against her employer was not in the late 70s like I had originally thought (when she would've been around 40), but in 2007, when she was closer to 70. I was under the impression that Meryl couldn't realistically portray Ledbetter in a film about her equal pay fight, but now I can't imagine how she won't!
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was the first piece of legislation President Obama signed after his inauguration. Ledbetter won her suit against Goodyear, but it was appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court, where she ended up losing. The move by Congress to enact the new statute in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision adjusted the timeline for filing sex discrimination suits.
Evidently the film, originally under the working title Ledbetter, was sort of lying development stasis. Maybe Meryl is lending some financial support and also "offering" to play the title role. Biopic, women's equality--seems right up Streep's ally. I wonder if it might seem a little bit too much like Silkwood, however. Ultimately though, if the script is good enough, I can totally see Meryl starring in this.
