Will Meryl star in a 2019 Black List script?

Each December, I like to scour the latest Hollywood Blacklist of best unproduced screenplays. The number of projects (based on their taglines at least) that would involve women "of a certain age" in a leading role, tend to be slim. Of course we all know that Streep ended up getting her 21st Oscar nomination for 2017's The Post, which was also a Blacklist Script (still holding out for Nyad).

From this year's list, I spotted two potential scripts that could feasibly attract Meryl's eye. The first, entitled Pod, was written by Nabil Chowdhary. The tagline reads:

"After a mission to destroy a black hole that endangers mankind goes wrong, an astronaut awakens in her escape pod to find that decades have passed seemingly in a moment. Now, with an old body and fragile mind, she battles against the elements of space and time to complete her mission."

"Old body" is perhaps not the most flattering term, but it also suggests that it would be a role for someone over sixty. Also, it would maybe be an opportunity for sci-fi?  Yes, The Giver likely landed close to that category, but that movie also sucked. 

The second, entitled Grandma Wants to Die and written by Patrick Cadigan, reads:

"When Ben is left footing the bill for his own wedding just weeks before the big day, he’s forced to make a deal with his estranged grandmother Minnie. She’ll give him the money if he signs the papers for her assisted suicide. Ben gladly agrees, only to unearth Minnie’s final agenda before she departs... destroy the wedding from the inside and seemingly ruin Ben’s life."

While Meryl is over seventy now, this may be a bit too old for her. And maybe not...(see Aunt March in this year's Little Women).  Sounds like this role could actually be a complex, interesting character, and maybe even a bit of a psychological thriller?

With The Prom currently filming, we know of no other new projects that Meryl is scheduled to film in 2020. Will The Nix ever happen? Maybe some other limited series? A third season of Big Little Lies?  

Always fun to speculate! Regardless of what happens, next year should be another interesting one. 

Let's talk about...retirement.

I'm resurrecting an old tag that I haven't posted in for two and a half years! I had ostensibly started the "Let's Talk About..." section to chat about work Meryl has done, but considering the stage her career is nearing, I'm curious to hear people's opinions.

Streep is just a few months shy of her 70th birthday. A lot of years left, one might assume. If we look at some of her contemporaries, many are working well into their 70s and 80s. There has been no greater time to be an actress over 50 in Hollywood than it is now (not that it's great).  And I have to expect that most actors don't think of retirement the same way most of us plebeians do, in that we work and save so that one day we might be able to survive without having the commitment of a job. No, they're doing exactly what they want to be doing. So what's there to retire from?

I suspect that this is how Meryl sees it as well. If the roles are there, she'll keep it up. Yes, she takes breaks, then goes four or five years working on multiple projects successively. But she's also a grandma now, and one wonders if it ever occurs to her that it would be nicer to just hang it up for longer than six to twelve months on occasion.  Granted, not filming anything for, say four years, isn't retirement, but it would be a distinct shift in the pattern we've seen since Meryl got her start in the late 70s.

My speculations are probably out of fear that she would consider putting less out there, as I've become so accustomed to essentially having a new project to look forward to on a yearly basis. What gives me comfort is that if the scripts are out there, Meryl's likely going to be at the top of the list for whom directors want to work with, assuming Meryl fits the demographic of the role. She typically doesn't produce her own stuff, but perhaps if The Nix gets underway it would be a foray into creating roles for herself that she finds interesting and would otherwise not get made.

This year will be a fun one, with Big Little Lies, The Laundromat and Little Women all still to come. But what we can expect from Meryl's future résumé as she enters her eighth decade of life is probably anyone's guess. Here's hoping it's even more fruitful an exciting than the previous seven!

Meryl's awards chances for 2019

Now that awards season is over (poor Glenn), we can turn our attention to speculation on how Meryl may fare for recognition for her upcoming projects. There are three chances for her this year: Big Little Lies, The Laundromat and Little Women.

By far, I think her most likely chance at nominations is going to be for BLL. With the popularity and quality of the first season, and the fact that Meryl's performance is so highly anticipated, I'll be shocked if she doesn't get nominated for at least a couple of the big three TV awards: Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG. Of course, since the show doesn't air until June, any Emmy love won't come until September, 2020.

By all accounts, and as I've previously mentioned, her participation in Greta Gerwig's remake of Little Women (set for release at Christmas) is likely to be too small for even supporting consideration. I'd be thrilled if I were wrong, but there are people who have read the script that suggest her part is indeed brief.

Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat is a bit more of an enigma. If Meryl really has more than just a minor role, I imagine there will be an awards push for her. Certainly Gary Oldman is a big-time name in the film who will garner an effort from Netflix as well. So, considering the press releases last year suggesting that Meryl's role is the "emotional throughline" of the story, maybe there's something there.

No news on what, if anything, Meryl will film this year. I still think The Nix would be awesome!

"Mary Poppins Returns" surpasses $300 million worldwide

Mary Poppins Returns has been in theaters in the U.S. for over six weeks now, and its domestic box office total is a healthy $168 million. Add to that an increasing foreign total of $160m and the film is certifiably a hit, against a $130m budget. Certainly it's going to make a bit more, as it hasn't been in some of the foreign markets for very long, but I post this mostly to make note of the financial success of Meryl's projects over the past year.

Including 2017's The Post, Meryl's last three films have earned a combined total of over $900m worldwide, and as mentioned, Mary Poppins Returns is still growing. Granted, she wasn't in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again or Mary Poppins very much, but it's still not a bad haul to be a part of.

2019 is shaping up to be more a serious(?) year for her on screen, as after the frivolity of Mamma Mia! and Mary Poppins, we're set to see her in the second season of HBO's Big Little Lies, Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat and Greta Gerwig's Little Women remake. I don'g expect either film to be box office juggernauts, but I hope they'll be well received by both critics and audiences.

And, of course, we're always looking forward to an announcement of what Meryl's next official project will be. Will they finally get around to The Nix? I think it's about time for some news on something.

Status of "The Nix"

This week marks two years since it was announced Meryl would team with J.J. Abrams to produce a limited TV series adaptation of Nathan Hill's novel The Nix. I've offered thoughts on the project's production over many months, but nothing really since March of this year. The last real info I can remember is from January when Hill offered that the series was probably set at nine episodes, at which time there remained every indication that Meryl was still involved.

Fast forward six months and there's not been a single blurb about production. Granted, compared to this spring, Meryl actually has a pretty hefty list of projects on her calendar. While none will likely take up a ton of her time (Little Women and The Laundromat are likely both supporting roles, possibly even rather small), there's kind of a lot going on for her in the upcoming months. Both Women and Laundromat film this fall, Mary Poppins Returns comes out in December and Big Little Lies will likely see its return around February. All this comes off the heels of a strong box-office performance for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this summer.   

That said, her 2019 schedule, to our knowledge, is barren of roles. Abrams, who is currently busy directing the latest Star Wars film, likely won't be available for directing The Nix any time soon, as his film is supposed to shoot through early 2019 and not be released until next December. I imagine he'll be too busy with the editing process to lend a hand to the TV series next spring.

But next spring still feels like a feasible timeline were The Nix to come to fruition. And my goodness, with the story's eerie parallels to the current U.S. president, it seems like a project ripe with opportunity for success. As I've mentioned before, it's hard to tell exactly how large Meryl's part may actually be, as in the book, her character (at least the age Meryl would play her), isn't really in it all that much. That isn't to say that they couldn't have beefed it up a bit, as we know Hill was involved in making some changes to the story for how it'll play out on television.

I'll predict that if the series does eventually shoot, it'll be next spring/summer, and run (assuming they can get a freakin' network to bite) in the spring of 2020. It's anyone's guess where the country will be politically by that point. But if The Nix were to end up being a critical and viewer juggernaut, imagine its timely presence at the 2020 Emmys in September, just six weeks shy of the next presidential election.

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?

Update on box office totals for "The Post"

The Post is entering its fourth weekend in wide release. To date, the film has earned about $62 million at the domestic box office and $24m foreign, for a worldwide total of about $85m. This weekend already has estimates for another $6m, which would bring its U.S. total close to $68m.  Against a budget of $50m, these are decent receipts. I've read that a film typically needs to make at least 2-2.5 times its budget to actually see profits, as marketing and other costs I probably don't fully understand factor in greatly. Overall though, I imagine that 20th Century Fox is pleased with the results.

What I like most about the fact that the film should have no problem getting over $75m domestic is that it reinforces Meryl as a financial draw for films. Of course I like that good numbers also show that people are actually showing up to her films too, but I care more that it keeps doors open for projects to get greenlit for production.  I remember reading that after The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl was "besieged" with offers due to the film's success, which is apparently what got Julie & Julia off the ground. 

With her only future projects at this point being for TV (Big Little Lies and The Nix), it's exciting to look forward to, and of course speculate on, what might be her next big role for the silver screen.  

Any guesses?

A brief update on "The Nix"

A few days ago, I came across a radio interview author Nathan Hill gave for a local station in Florida last week, and in it, he discusses the upcoming limited series project for the The Nix. Starting at 49:00, he and the interviewer discuss the stage the project is in and development of it. I'm posting about it because the script now seems to be nailed down to nine episodes (which is news), but the part that discouraged me a bit was that they're apparently still searching for a distributor.

Now, "searching for a distributor" could mean several things. Recall that in September I posted about the possibility that The Nix had been picked up by Amazon, as it was listed as a project in development for the studio when they announced plans for their 2018 production spending. It's possible that there is more than one company interested, and that they're hashing out whom to choose. That's probably wishful thinking, but with the nature of the novel's story and the fact that Hill is still discussing it in a manner that suggests it's very much alive, I'm optimistic for chances of production getting underway this year.

With Meryl producing, this would potentially be an interesting scenario were the limited series to gain awards traction, not unlike the situation we've seen this year with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in their promotion and discussion of their exceptional show Bit Little Lies. We just need someone to say "here's the money. Now go film it!"

ps-I'm seeing The Post tonight and am of course agog.

Greta Gerwig to direct Meryl?

Yesterday, Showbiz411 released an article in which director Greta Gerwig is quoted as saying that she's meeting with Meryl next week to discuss a film she's writing for her. OMG!

Gerwig of course is the screenwriter and director of Lady Bird, which is currently slaying in theaters and drawing the attention of critics groups. Earlier this week, the film set a record for the most consecutive "fresh" reviews ever on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 100% score after 180 reviews (at time of posting).

I have no idea what the role might possibly be that she's written for Streep, but I have to admit, I've thought about what it might be like for Gerwig to write and direct Meryl on screen. Gerwig is likely to become only the fifth woman ever to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and with that pedigree, the fact that she is specifically interested in writing a role for Meryl...well, I'm over the moon (although I still REALLY wish there were a way for Meryl to play Hildy Good in the The Good House).

Excited to see what the next year of new projects holds for our girl.

By the way, I read this bit of info on the current status of The Nix yesterday:

http://www.naplesnews.com/story/life/2017/11/26/five-questions-naples-best-selling-author-nathan-hill-the-nix/889615001/

Poll #5: With which director would you most like to see Meryl work?

Despite Meryl having four projects either in the can, filming, or recently acquired by a studio, there's surprisingly been little news about her specifically in regard to these projects recently. We know Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is currently filming in Croatia (although on Instagram some cast members have apparently already wrapped which gives me pause since we haven't seen Meryl on set), The Post should have its first trailer any day now, Mary Poppins Returns is well into post-production, and The Nix was snatched up by Amazon. There have been about ten billion articles this week about Meryl's association with Harvey Weinstein, and if you're interested in discussing that, feel free to comment below. Of course I have my own opinions on the whole shit show.

So...I thought we'd throw in another poll! After poll #3, someone suggested asking with which director people would most like to see Meryl work.  I think that's a fabulous question to ask. But where to begin?  Well, take a look to the right and see if any of these folks seem suitable. I'm only listing folks that Meryl has never worked with in a live-action feature film. Looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts.

Did Amazon pick up "The Nix"?

Several months ago when I posted about the status of the limited series adaptation for Nathan Hill's debut novel The Nix, the project still hadn't landed with any specific studio. Hill had offered that maybe Netflix, Showtime, or Amazon would be in the mix to produce. Yesterday, Variety reported that Amazon Studios has increased its production spending for 2018, and among many other shows included in its pipeline, The Nix was listed as a current project in development.  I assume this means that The Nix has indeed found its home.

No word on when production was scheduled to begin, but having read the book, a lot of the action takes place during the summer, so maybe as soon as spring 2018? I wonder if the release would be likely for the end of next year or spring 2019, as the prime Emmy window tends to be in April or May, just before the deadline for qualification.

Regardless, I'm encouraged by this news, as so little concrete info has been released in some time on the status of The Nix. Always fun to look forward to new projects from Meryl!

Streep wins Emmy for narrating "Five Came Back"

Well what a pleasant surprise. Last night, the Creative Arts Emmys were handed out and Meryl took home the gold for narrating the Netflix WWII documentary Five Came Back. She was not in attendance of course, as production is underway for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!  Streep will now have three Emmys in her trophy case, this most recent in addition to those she won for her performances in the miniseries Holocaust (1978) and Angels in America (2003).  Now if we can just get The Nix into production, we can expect that she'll contend for her fourth!

Congratulations, Meryl.

Casting update for "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again"

Multiple sources have reported that Jeremy Irvine and Alexa Davies have joined the cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.  Irvine, best known for playing the lead role in Steven Spielberg's War Horse, will portray the younger version of Pierce Brosnan's character, while Davies will play Rosie, the younger version of Julie Walters's character in the original.

I have to admit I've never seen War Horse, but like the idea of Irvine and Meryl swapping stories on set of working with Steven.  The last I heard, filming was to start in late summer or early fall, so I suppose Meryl will be hightailing it to Croatia fairly soon.

The next year will be an unexpectedly full one for Meryl in the filming department.  Shooting just wrapped on The Papers, so I imagine that as soon as she's finished up with shooting Mamma Mia she'll be on a promotional blitz for the film back in the U.S.  Hopefully she'll be a factor in awards season.  Then we get Mamma Mia in the summer and Mary Poppins Returns next December.  Still crossing my fingers that The Nix finally gets greenlit for production as well.  If it does, I expect it to film next spring and/or summer.

It's a fun time to be a Meryl fan!

What's the status of "The Nix"?

I came across a couple of videos on You Tube today that feature author Nathan Hill on tour discussing his novel The Nix.  As we know, it was announced last September that Meryl had signed on to portray one of the main characters, Faye.  Not long after that we learned that John Logan would be the showrunner and that Meryl was going to make bank for each episode.  Other than that, not much has been updated since.

So, my ears perked up a bit when Hill briefly discussed the potential limited series in two separate videos at events that both took place last month.  Go to 51:23 in the first and 48:55 in the second.

    


    

We don't really learn a ton of new stuff, but since both of these events took place in May, it's good to know that he recently met with producers about the adaptation.  He confirmed John Logan as the screenwriter, stated J.J. Abrams would be directing and that it would probably be a single season of about 10 episodes.  They're just waiting to see which network is interested in picking it up.  This seems HBO-ish to me, but could see it going to Netflix or Amazon too.  I don't really care, as long as it gets made.

Despite The Papers probably wrapping by early August, Meryl won't have a ton of time before heading to Croatia to film Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!  The Nix is a fairly sprawling tale which could potentially take a while time to shoot.  That said, Meryl's role of Faye would not require she be in every episode, or at least not a lot of every episode.  It might make sense for them to shoot this next spring and have it out by fall of next year to precede the midterm elections in the U.S.  Looking forward to the possibility of seeing this story come to life.

Nathan Hill talks "The Nix"

Two nights ago I was alerted to an interview that author Nathan Hill gave regarding his book The Nix.  In it, he briefly discusses the status of the optioned limited series based on the novel that is supposed to star Meryl.  The interviewer specifically asks "what's going on with the Netflix series starring Meryl Streep?"  I initially thought, "well it being on Netflix is news to me."  But Hill goes on to say:

"Well, we’re actually waiting to see where it will land: Netflix, Amazon, Showtime. I have been in contact with the guy who’s going to be our showrunner and is doing the adaptation. His name is John Logan (creator of the Showtime series “Penny Dreadful”) and he’s a fantastic guy and an incredibly talented writer. I’m really excited. We have a lot of firepower behind it. Nothing in Hollywood is set in stone until it’s actually made, so we’re kind of circling around it. But hopefully, we’ll get the green light. We’ve got Meryl Streep (as Faye), we’ve got JJ Abrams, we’ve got John Logan. We’ve got such wattage and I’m super excited about it."

So, a few things here.  Showrunner John Logan is also apparently writing the screenplay for the series.  I was disappointed to read that they're still sort of waiting on getting production finalized, but HIll overall seems pretty optimistic about it.  If we get a network officially attached, I'll feel a lot more comfortable with the likelihood that this is actually going to happen. Like The Post, this story would nicely reflect that current political climate in the U.S., which of course is very much up Meryl's alley. 

No fourth Oscar, but Meryl shines at the Academy Awards

Everyone and their dog was probably picking Emma Stone to win the Oscar last night in the Best Actress category.  No one, however, expected this Oscar telecast to include the biggest blunder in Academy history, when La La Land was incorrectly announced as the winner over Moonlight.  We all know now that Warren Beatty was accidentally given the "other" copy of the Best Actress envelope instead of the Best Picture winner.  Personally, I think it's a rather simple mistake and hope no heads rolled over it.  I just wish Beatty or Faye Dunaway had had the wherewithal to say "hey, this says Emma Stone."  But, anyone could've been confused by mistake.

Meryl had a few nice moments.  Host Jimmy Kimmel started a standing ovation for her, sort of throwing-it-in-the-face of President Trump for his preposterous claim that she's overrated.  I also haven't really commented on the whole Karl Lagerfeld fiasco because, quite frankly, it's a slanderous attack that Meryl quickly squashed.  She ultimately decided on Elie Saab and looked lovely on the red carpet.

I think it may be a while before we see Meryl nominated for an Oscar again.  Even if she somehow got a supporting nom for Mary Poppins Returns (which I highly doubt), that nomination wouldn't happen until 2019.  Maybe we'll have to settle for recognition at the Emmys before then for The Nix.  Rest assured that any news on a lead role will promptly be covered on this blog.  Until then, happy Meryling.

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

Streep to make big bucks for "The Nix"

Among other sources, Vanity Fair reported the other day that Meryl's salary has been revealed for the upcoming limited series adaptation of Nathan Hill's novel The Nix.  $825,000 per episode.  Now before you think that this is a crazy number for a single television episode, let's remember that it's quite possible that the entire series is fewer than five episodes, and based on the book, I wouldn't be surprised if Meryl is not in all of them.

What I get most out of this info is that The Nix is likely a sure thing.  I can't imagine we'd have salary negotiations public if this weren't really going to happen.  Still no word on when filming is set to begin, other cast members or even which network will air it, but considering the project was only announced two months ago, this news is good.

I still really want a great film lead role for Streep, though.  In the Vanity Fair article cited above, it was mentioned that Robert De Niro would also be making a haul for his work in David O. Russel's upcoming mafia television project that apparently is set to air in 2017.  De Niro has so many acting projects going at this point that it's difficult to see how he'd be able to squeeze in The Good House at any point over the next year with Meryl.  That's of course assuming that that project isn't totally dead, which it probably is.  Still carrying the torch of hope for that one.  Regardless, glad to know there's at least something in the pipeline besides Mary Poppins Returns. 

John Logan named showrunner for "The Nix"

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that John Logan (Showtime's Penny Dreadful) been named the showrunner and executive producer of The Nix.  I had to look up exactly what "showrunner" involved, and its definition is exactly what I expected: the person who has creative authority and management responsibility for a television program.  This is the first news on this project since Meryl's involvement was announced in early September.

It's great to learn that this is moving forward.  No news on who will be adapting the novel for the limited series, nor has a network been named.  To this point, Streep is the only actor attached to star, while J.J. Abrams, one of the producers, is expected to direct a portion of the series.

I finished the novel this weekend and have to say that I'm a little perplexed as to how Meryl was drawn to this story as far it potentially providing a juicy role.  Her character of Faye is incredibly complex, it's just that over the course of the 620-page book, the 60 year-old Faye is present for about 50 pages.  It seems more likely that since Meryl is a co-producer (which she hardly ever does) she was more attracted to the overall story.  It spans several decades and delves into the American political landscape of both the 60's and present day.  Author Nathan Hill does a brilliant job weaving the characters' interactions over the years and how it shapes Faye and her son, Samuel.  I can't imagine how they'll make a screen version of this without having a "younger" Meryl cast.  This could also be a huge opportunity for a 30-something actor in the role of Samuel.  I'm excited to hopefully hear more news soon on casting.

With this news, I imagine that we could see filming sometime in the second half of 2017.

Update on reading "The Nix"-part 2

I'm sort of taking my time with this book (fall is busy!) so it's been a while since I've posted about what we might be able to expect from Meryl's possible character, Faye Andresen-Anderson.  Yup, that's her full name.  As I mentioned in my last post about the novel, after a third of the way through it I was a bit surprised by how little of 60 year-old Faye was actually in it.  Well, I'm currently on page 474 of the 620 page book and we've had zero additional time for Meryl's role since my last post.  The character of Faye is in it a fair amount shortly before this point in the book, but it's college student-age Faye.  Much of the story is background on the characters going all the way back to the late 1960's.

So, there's not really much more to tell about what me might be able to expect from Meryl, but fear not.  The chapter I'm about to read jumps us back to 2011 where 60 year-old Faye is front and center, so I'm guessing and hoping that much of the remaining quarter of the book heavily involves her and her son, Samuel.  We've gotten much or all of the backstory so what's left to learn we hopefully hear from Faye herself.  It should be good.  

Considering that such a large novel unexpectedly provides a rather modest role for Meryl's character, I wonder if the TV development will be planned more like I remember Game Change being for HBO.  I read that book prior to the adaptation and if memory serves, less than a third of it was about Sarah Palin; the majority was about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but the film version strongly centered on Palin.   We don't know how many episodes The Nix will have, but I think it's possible that they will pare down the novel to focus much of it on the second half, considering the announcement of the project included Meryl's involvement.  That said, I think it is very possible, if not probable, that one or two episodes wouldn't involve Meryl at all.  

I'm very much looking forward to finishing up the book over the next few days so I'll be able to get a better sense of how Meryl might approach Faye.  Stay tuned.