Poll #13: Whom would you like to next see Meryl portray in a biopic?

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.

What's in store for 2022?

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. 

A quintet of new voices awaits

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."

Looking ahead to 2019

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone had a great 2018. Looking back on the year Meryl had, it was generally pretty quiet as far as releases go. Yes, she was honored with her 21st Oscar nomination for The Post, but her only two screen roles were both for sequels: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Mary Poppins Returns. While her performances in both movies were small, the two films themselves were/are fairly high-profile, particularly when it comes to their respective box office returns. Mamma Mia! had a worldwide total of almost $400 million, while Mary Poppins, currently in theaters, is likely to fair similarly well.

2019 should be a very different year in terms of Meryl's roles, however. The 'big one' will likely be Big Little Lies, in which she portrays Mary Louise Wright, mother-in-law to Nicole Kidman's character, Celeste. I think I posted at one point that I expected a trailer for the HBO series in the fall, but thus far all we've had are some pics and a brief action shot of Streep in a teaser promotion. There is still no official word on when the second (and likely final) season will premiere, but there's been buzz that it will land in March. Considering it's seven episodes, all of which Meryl is apparently in by the way, it's highly unlikely to be much later, as they'll want it to wrap up before Emmy deadlines on May 31st. Meryl's role is said to be juicy, and with the shear scope and popularity of the show, this may be the key performance of her year.

Next fall we'll get to see her in two separate films, Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat and Greta Gerwig's remake of Little Women. Both films have wrapped, with Laundromat's release date yet to be finalized. I'm not sure if it will be released in theaters at the same time it goes to Netflix, but I imagine it'll be fourth quarter. All signs point to Streep's role being a supporting one. When it was first announced that she had joined the cast, it was said that her character would be the "emotional through-line" of the picture. I'm guessing she plays one of the people who are defrauded by the firm Mossack Fonseca. Maybe we'll see her a bit at the beginning of the film, and then her plight will be the undercurrent of what the rest of the film is based upon, in that the firm is found to be an enormous front for money laundering and fraud.

Little Women will hit theaters on Christmas Day. The cast of course is highly touted, but by all accounts, Meryl's role as Aunt March may be a very minor one. Not that that's necessarily bad, as it's good when she's in seemingly great projects with good directors, but of course it's always nice to see her more prominently showcased in lead roles.

And I know she also has the Martin Scorsese project with Sharon Stone lined up, but until we have more definitive info on what it's actually about, my assumption will continue to be that it's not actually a narrative feature film where Meryl is playing a role, but more of a salutatory retrospective on someone's career...like Robert De Niro.

Which brings us to probably my favorite part of blogging: potential future projects. IMDbPro currently only lists The Nix as "Projects in Development" for Streep. It's been over two years since it was announced that she would not only star in but produce a limited series based on Nathan Hill's hit debut novel. Another possible (prominent?) supporting role, but might we see this put into production sometime this spring or summer? I hope so. Other than that, we have no
confirmed projects or interests from team Streep. I maintain that The Good House would be a fantastic project, but as it's been over five years since that was announced, the further out it's pushed, the less likely it seems it will happen. Were Nyad a possibility, filming it this year would be prefect timing for a summer 2020 release, sentimentally coinciding with the schmaltzy coverage of the Olympics.

As always, time will tell how her performances this year will be received, as well as what we can expect for future projects. Regardless, I'm excited for the next twelve months!

What do you guys think? Any roles you want to throw out there as suggestions or predictions of what we might see Meryl tackle in the next few years?

The next five years

With filming underway for season 2 of Big Little Lies, I thought I'd do one of my favorite things and post about my wishes/predictions/expectations for Meryl's upcoming filming schedule. Let's jump right in.

We already know that 2018 will bring us two feature films involving Meryl in likely rather small roles: Mama Mia! Here We Go Again July and Mary Poppins Returns in December. It's interesting that both roles are in sequels, something I don't think Meryl has ever done before, nor had I expected her to. But they're not the traditional "this film was good so let's make sure we immediately bank on the first film's success," as Mama Mia! is ten years later, and Mary Poppins over fifty. Big Little Lies is likely to release to HBO first quarter 2019, which leaves us to speculate about what roles will be in her near future.

The only other realistic possibility that has already been announced is the limited series The Nix. Nathan Hill's novel has reportedly been adapted into about nine episodes for television, but it has yet to land a distributor.  Maybe we'll see that come to fruition for filming this summer or early fall, but if J.J. Abrams is expected to direct any of the episodes, he likely won't be available until 2019, as this year he'll be busy on some obscure little indie pic called Star Wars. 

Let's say The Nix does eventually happen but that its filming is postponed to spring/summer 2019. That would likely mean a 2020 release.  Not a bad idea considering its a politically charged story and that will be an election year that is certain to have tensions running high. Call me obsessed, but I've also been thinking lately about how great it would be to see The Good House filmed for television in a limited series a la 2014's Olive Kitteridge on HBO, starring Frances McDormand. It would provide a more thorough delving into the lush character of Hildy Good, without the constraints of the two hour package typically required for film. The story would work nicely as four episodes and if were somehow already planned, could be ripe for filming this fall.

I would expect that a limited series for The Good House would release on television fourth quarter 2019, again like Olive Kitteridge. That brings us to 2019. I've previously posted how great it would be to see Meryl star in Nyad, as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad as she battles to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark tank. A summer/fall shooting schedule would be adequate for a summer 2020 release. A handful of Streep films have done very well in that August time slot, which, in 2020 would coincide with the summer Olympics. What better marketing tool to have for an inspirational story about a competitive swimmer?

The following two years could be relatively conventional. A lead role in a Greta Gerwig vehicle for a 2021 release, followed by a sure to be mind-blowing pairing with Jessica Lange as Edith Windsor and Streep as her wife, Thea Spyer.

The whole schedule could look something like this:

2018
Mama Mia! Here We Go Again (July)
Mary Poppins Returns (December)

2019
Big Little Lies (~February)--TV
The Good House (~November)--TV

2020
The Nix (~May)--TV
Nyad (August)

2021
Greta Gerwig project

2022
Edith Windsor/Thea Spyer biopic with Jessica Lange

The proposed timeline would be a delightful combination of lead and supporting roles on television and in film, of biopics, literary adaptations and original stories.

Why not, right?

Results of poll #6

Poll #6 is closed and the overwhelming choice for whom people would like to see Meryl star with as a co-lead is none other than the great Cate Blanchett. I guess it's not that surprising...arguably the two greatest actresses working today.  Who wouldn't be interested in seeing them pair up? Jessica Lange came in a distant second (whom I voted for). I think it would be really interesting to see those two team for a biopic of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer (Streep as Spyer). In third we have Sigourney Weaver. I've actually thought that she or Jodi Foster would be good choices to play best friend Bonnie Stoll, were Streep to take the title role in the Blacklist script Nyad. 

Sins of omission from the list options: Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Kathy Bates. 

There were a few great suggestions for the next poll.  Any others?  These might be my favorite posts.

Results of poll #4

I know that the current poll has a few days remaining but since the voting has sort of leveled off I thought I'd comment on it now.  With 35 total votes in, I'm pleasantly surprised that Diana Nyad is the person whom people would most like to see Meryl portray in a biopic.  My surprise comes from not even expecting most people to know who she is.  I had never heard of her until I saw that one of the black list scripts was about her.

This could still be a viable role for Meryl.  A physical transformation in an inspiring story.  As I mentioned in one of my comments, it would be cool if she chose to film this just after turning 70 in 2019, sort of a fun physical achievement to prepare herself for all the swimming she'd likely have to do.  Plus, with already having completed The Papers, were she to do Nyad, I'd be two-for-two in the last two years in predicting which black list script she chose!

Make it happen, movie world.

Will Meryl star in a 2016 Black List script?

Happy New Year, everyone!  I know many are thrilled that 2016 is finally over.  With that, we have much to look forward to in 2017 in regard to Meryl projects.  Despite not having any lead film roles confirmed at this point, my powers of speculation remain at full strength.  The first quarter of this year will no doubt be dominated by the awards season and how Streep will fare.  We already get to look forward to this Sunday, where she's nominated for Florence Foster Jenkins at the Golden Globes.  She will also be recognized with the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award, which truthfully I'm anticipating more than any chance she has at winning for Flo Fo.  BAFTA nominations are announced two days after the Globes ceremony with the Oscar noms coming on the 24th.  January wraps up with the SAG Awards on the 29th, where Meryl again is in the running as Florence.

Little has been mentioned about The Nix in the last couple of months, but I expect that to film sometime third or fourth quarter. Mary Poppins Returns will likely see its scenes wrapped before year's end as well.  Beyond that, the calendar looks pretty barren for our girl.  This provides the opportunity for almost limitless speculation about what may be in store for Meryl.  Last year was the first time I singled out a specific role for her based on the annual Hollywood Blacklist that is released each December.  I maintain that portraying Diana Nyad in a biopic could be a wonderfully challenging role for Meryl, but unfortunately I haven't found a single word about the chances for production of that script since it made the list a year ago.  And as much as it pains me to say it, The Good House may remain in development hell indefinitely.

Which brings me to this year.  When 2016's Blacklist was revealed a few weeks ago, you better believe I immediately combed it for potential projects that could realistically involve Streep.  Similar to last year, my eyes were drawn to a particular spec, which just so happens to sit in a three-way tie for second place with 35 overall votes, behind the Madonna biopic Blond Ambition, which received 48.  Written by Liz Hannah, The Post is an account of the efforts of Ben Bradlee and Katharine (Kay) Graham to publish sensitive information about the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War, known as the Pentagon Papers, in the Washington Post.  The film would take place in 1971 when Graham, the publisher of the newspaper, was about 54 years old.  Yes, this is over a decade younger than Meryl, but a 54 year-old in 1971 in my opinion would be totally do-able for Meryl at 70.

I was lucky enough to read the script over the Christmas holiday.  Obviously I pictured Meryl as Kay the entire time.  It went very quickly, as it is written beautifully, and the story is interesting and at times suspenseful.  This project seems like it would be more likely than Nyad to 1) actually get funded/filmed and 2) involve Meryl.  It's a political thriller-ish story, which happens to be fairly topical for current times.  A story about the White House trying to stifle journalists from publishing damaging (yet true) stories seems eerily similar to what I imagine president-elect Trump will continue to do to newspapers he happens go disagree with.

On October 31, Pascal Pictures purchased the rights to the script, but I've found nothing further that suggests it's anywhere near being greenlit.  One has to wonder if we may hear something within the next few months about whether or not this great story will make it to the screen.  Could this be the 2018 lead role we've been waiting for?

Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee in 1971

Thoughts on "Master Class"

I know we're all struggling a little bit with the dearth in project news for Meryl.  I'm sad to report that as of today, The Good House has dropped off of her IMDbPro "in developement" section.  That film is currently categorized as "developement unknown," with no actors attached.  Interesting sidebar: my mom told me that she saw Ann Leary in an interview last week for her new book The Children, and happened to mention The Good House (I had recommended it a while ago to her and now she's for sure planning to read it).  Leary also discussed the possiblity of a film, but that basically Meryl was not a sure thing.  Not surprising that it's off Meryl's page (and Robert De Niro's for that matter).

That leaves us with Master Class.  Over the weekend I read Terrence McNally's play, on which the HBO film was to be based.  I felt compelled to mention it here because of course I couldn't help myself from picuring Meryl the entire time I was reading Maria Callas's zingers.  After having finished it, I'm more bummed than ever that it might end up in perpetual movie limbo. Forgetting the fact that I'm already a huge opera fan, Callas in this story is a wonderful character.  Fiery, intelligent, direct, vulgar at times and constantly trying to tell the audience that the class is not about her, despite the fact that every event in the play ends up turning the focus squarely and solely back on Maria.  She also readily transitions between speaking in English (which would be with a Greek accent), French and Italian, with a bit of German here and there.

Alas, I wonder if the next project we get from Meryl will be something completely unkown.  Recall that she had a meeting about a film project in London in May while there for the premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins, but she reportedly wasn't ready to divulge any details yet.  Since the start of her film career, Streep has never gone more than a single calendar year without filming something (although January 1999-January 2001 is a full two years).  If 2016 goes by without anything, I think it's highly unlikely we won't see her shooting something in 2017.  Nyad, anyone?  And I'm still holding out hope for The Good House.  Even if Meryl isn't involved, I'd still love to see Hildy Good brought to life on screen.  

Happy 67th, Meryl!

Yes, it's our girl's birthday.  Wherever she is, I hope she's enjoying the day. I don't have any retrospectives to offer to mark the milestone; maybe I'll save that for when she turns 70.  I will, however, take this opportunity to let everyone know that it was announced yesterday that Meryl will be attending the Rome Film Festival in October.  This isn't necessarily super newsworthy in itself, but it provides a glimpse into her fall schedule.  I doubt she has plans to film anything around that time if she'll be heading to Rome.  Maybe this really is going to be very similar to the 2010-2011 filming schedule she had...where no filming took place in 2010, but we got two in 2011.  I would lose my shit if 2017 brought us production of both The Good House and Nyad.

Streepers anxious to know what's next

Probably not since 1999 have we had a similar dearth of confirmed screen projects for Meryl.  One could argue that we're in a very similar situation to 2010, where by early summer of that year Streep hadn't filmed anything in a year and we knew of zero films which she had in the pipeline.  Shortly after, it was announced that she would star as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.  That film went into production in early 2011, was released later that year and of course earned Meryl her third Oscar.

The similarities between 2010 and 2016 may unfortunately end there, however.   I realize that I've speculated ad nauseam on the status of The Good House, but by most recent accounts that's a 'maybe' at best.  Were that to actually get pulled together, I don't think it would be unreasonable for that to begin shooting in early 2017 with a release date planned for later that year.  One of the problems with this filming schedule may in fact be the other confirmed actor...Robert De Niro.  The other day it was announced that he was in talks to star in a film adaptation of the the novel The War on Grandpa.  He also has The Irishman lined up, which is said to begin filming next spring.  On top of this, earlier this week we also learned he will make his directorial debut on Broadway in December.  That doesn't leave a lot of room for him and Meryl to team up and play Frank and Hildy.  This House is looking less Good. 

The other project that remains an enigma is Master Class.  After the sad and unexpected passing of director Mike Nichols in November of 2014, the HBO film was put on hold.  Filming was set to begin in January 2015 with a likely release later that year.  Just today I happened to think about the Emmy nominations coming up next month and how we'd likely be expecting a nomination for Meryl in the role of Maria Callas.  For months now I'd given up on the hope of ever seeing this project involving Meryl until several weeks ago.  While Streep was in London for the premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins, she gave an interview where it seemed possible that Master Class may still be on her radar, jut not anytime soon.  It got me wondering if Meryl would still be able to portray Callas in a couple of years.  Callas was in her late 40's during the masterclasses at Juilliard, while Streep will turn 67 next week.  The more I think about it though, if anyone can play someone 20 years younger, it's Meryl.  Callas's age in the play isn't of particular importance.  Meryl would just need to be passable for early 50's.  No prob within the next few years in my opinion.  It would be amazing if this eventually came to fruition.  After Faye Dunaway struggled and failed to get it to the screen, the project now almost seems doomed. The film remains on the 'in development' section of her IMDbPro page (along with The Good House), but I'm not holding my breath.  Just in case, however, my copy of Terrence McNally's original stage play is in the mail.  

With Jessica Chastain's gun control film Miss Sloane already in the can, it has seemed particularly unlikely to expect that The Senator's Wife will ever see the light of day.  The horrific Orlando massacre is sparking a much-needed dialogue for passing laws to restrict access to certain firearms, so I wonder if we'll also see a barrage of films from Hollywood that, like Miss Sloane, aim to tackle this topic.  We know Meryl regularly likes to be involved in projects that have important messages.  I certainly think it would be a great platform for Meryl to go after the NRA, but the plot just seems way too similar to Miss Sloane to expect anything to come of it.             

So, that's it?  Well, one of the small concessions about Meryl not having anything set in stone is that it's fun to dream predict.  A few months ago I queried whether Streep would be interested in the script Nyad, a biopic about marathon-swimmer Diana Nyad.  Doing a little snooping I discovered the blog Deconstruct the Script, where one of the scripts "deconstructed" is in fact Nyad.  Noting its appearance on the 2015 Blacklist, the author of the blog was mostly complementary on the script's quality.  While we may disagree on whether or not Nyad's swim from Cuba to Florida was pure narcissism (I expect her motivation was more complicated than that), the script was described as a project that had well-written characters and "beautiful, elegant" form.  Knowing a bit about Diana Nyad, this could be a film role Meryl could really sink her teeth into.  As I described in December, so many boxes would be ticked for a baity role in this picture: biopic, age-appropriate, physical transformation, history of abuse, lesbian.  Who other than Meryl would be more adept at effectively bringing Nyad's incredible story and humanity to the screen?  Probably no one.

Not unlike a gun-control film, were Meryl to get her wish and star with Kathy Bates in a film about Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, we'd have another zeitgeist project to look forward to.  With the current U.S. presidential campaign excruciatingly underway, a female being a major contender begs for a film depicting the historic struggle to secure women's suffrage.  Plus I enjoy Meryl's buddy projects.

Although portraying real people is always an enticing prospect, were all of the above projects to come to fruition, three of the roles (Maria Callas, Diana Nyad and Susan B. Anthony) would be biographical.  Couple that with Meryl's current title character, Florence Foster Jenkins, and it's possibly a bit heavy in the biopic department.  This is one of the reasons I wish The Good House would come together.  Original stories allow for a particular kind of representation, and possibly my favorite aspect of watching Meryl work is how convincing she is at making me believe her character's history.  That's likely a bigger and more gratifying challenge if there isn't a real person to reference.

In this same vein, we know that in recent years directors such as Joel Hopkins, Xavier Dolan and Pedro Almodóvar have all commented on their interest in working with Meryl.  I would expect any projects that teamed Streep with these gentlemen would not be a biopic.  Rob Marshall expressed interest in a film version of Follies, and after the success of Into the Woods, revealed that he would love to have Meryl aboard.  With the recent news of a film version of Wicked getting the green light, buzz around the internet inevitably suggests the possibility of Streep being cast as Madame Morrible.  Neither of these last two projects seem like a crazy idea, knowing Streep's affinity for musical films, especially the past couple of years. 

So many possibilities!  Although I get a little nervous not knowing what's next, I take solace in the fact that we WILL get more of Meryl.  I believe 100% that she loves working and hopes to do it as long as she can.  By all recent accounts, Florence Foster Jenkins is going to be a success on multiple levels, setting Streep up for a similar situation in which she found herself after her successes in 2009; films that may have executives tentative about funding may actually be given the OK.

Hang in there, Streepers.  I have a feeling the next five years are going to be special.

                                                   

New year, new possibilities

Happy 2016!  I hope everyone safely survived New Year's Eve and that we're all energized for the upcoming awards season.  Living in Minneapolis, where in January the average low temperature is in the single digits, going to a bunch of movies and enjoying the buzz surrounding the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Academy Awards helps me endure the frozen slog.

This will be one of the rare seasons where we won't see any of Meryl.  I'm disappointed that Ricki and the Flash didn't garner her at least a Golden Globe nomination, but I suppose it only whets the appetite for things to come.  2016 brings with it multiple unknowns as it pertains to Streep's screen career.  The one film we know will be released this year, Florence Foster Jenkins, doesn't even have a U.S. release date yet.  But in a way, the lack of certainty makes my tendency toward unabashed speculation a little more fun.

So what will 2016 bring?  I'm guessing Florence will get an awards-y fourth quarter release.  The more compelling questions surround when Meryl's next official project will be firmly established.  Ad nauseam I've blogged about my hopes for The Good House.  Were that film to come to fruition, word could come anytime.  It seems a reasonable timeline to film this fall, allowing for a 2017 release.

Then there are those pictures on my personal wish list, any of which being announced would make my head spin.  There was some speculation last summer that Meryl may join Amy Schumer's untitled mother-daughter action comedy, but I'm mostly interested in Meryl's participation for the reasons I explored here.  An adaptation of The Testament of Mary is a huge pipe dream, but worth another mention.  Then there are the biopics, three of which I currently consider major interests of mine: Susan B. Anthony, Indira Gandhi and Diana Nyad.  None of these are "likely" to happen, although the last isn't completely crazy.

Regardless of Streep's next project (maybe she in fact won't film anything in 2016), I hope she's able to team with great directors on even better scripts.  Despite the paucity of established upcoming roles, the overwhelming likelihood is that, although we don't know exactly when, Streep will continue to deliver numerous outstanding performances in the years to come.  Didn't someone once say that patience is a virture?  Ugh.

Will Meryl star in a 2015 Black List script?

Hope everyone had a great Christmas (I mean this in the most secular way possible)!  Almost two weeks ago now, Hollywood revealed its annual "Black List" of top unproduced screenplays.  I typically enjoy scrolling down the list to see if there are any that could possibly involve Meryl.  It quickly gets a bit disheartening, as not only do very few films center around women, but even fewer around women over 50.  A couple of scripts caught my eye this year, however, with one in particular that I'm going to obsess over until it's announced that Meryl is starring.

Just for context, the script with the highest number of "mentions" received 44.  At 31, we see Miss Sloane.  I previously discussed this script in September when it was purchased at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Depicting a lobbyist fighting for stricter gun control, I continue to wonder if this is different from The Senator's Wife.  

Next, at 16 mentions is Do No Harm (not to be confused with ...First Do No Harm of course).  Said to be about a surgeon whose life "takes a dangerous turn when she indulges in an affair with a doctor whose god complex challenges her own."  It doesn't sound particularly interesting, but it seems possible that Meryl would fit the demographic.  Albeit I picture execs likely wanting to feature a younger, "hotter" actress if much of the film would focus on the affair.

At 14, we find Cut and Run, about a "female urologist and retired hooker who form an unlikely friendship when they team up to take down a notorious sex trafficker in Miami."  Again, appears that it technically could include Meryl, although it reads like it could be more of an action flick?  It could possibly be a social commentary film, bringing attention/awareness to forced prostitution in the U.S.  

Lastly, at 13 mentions and by far most intriguing to me, was Nyad.  Written by Robert Specland, it is "based on the true story of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, who in 2013, after 4 failed attempts and at the age of 64, became the first person ever to open-swim from Cuba to Florida (55 hours non-stop) overcoming impossible odds, personal tragedy, and 103 miles of open ocean."

I had never heard of Nyad, but quickly began my research.  All the info I needed was best captured in the documentary I watched about her experience entitled The Other Shore.

Ok, on paper this role would seem to tick so many boxes for Meryl: biopic, age 64, physical transformation, intense personality, lesbian who (allegedly) suffered abuse at hands of both her Greek-Egyptian stepfather (Diana does a great accent of him in doc) and Hall of Fame swim coach Jack Nelson.  

I've read in interviews that Meryl swims for exercise.  I don't know if she continues to do so, but if I hadn't known that, I wouldn't have connected the possibility of her portraying this woman.  Not having read the script, I of course don't know how much of it takes place in the water, but I imagine quite a bit.  No doubt the filming would be physically grueling.  Meryl is no stranger to strenuous physical work in preparation for roles (The River Wild) and I wonder if it would take on extra significance were she to undergo it in her 60's rather than her 40's.  If the movie were to be made with Meryl, I expect it would have to be picked up this year with a filming schedule no later than summer 2017, incidentally when Meryl would turn 68.  Such a timeline would also allow for her to film The Good House later this year.

At first I thought Nyad may be too much of a stretch, but the more I think about it, and as I write this post, it seems at least possible, if not plausible.  Can you not totally picture Jodi Foster signing on to produce/direct or even star (as Nyad's trainer Bonnie Stoll)?!  Regardless of your interest in this project, I highly recommend viewing The Other Shore, which can be rented on Itunes.  Excited to hear people's thoughts on the documentary as well as Meryl's conceivable participation in a feature film.

Bonnie Stoll (left) and Diana Nyad (right)