According to The Hollywood Reporter, Meryl Streep will star in The Laundromat, a drama based on the Panama Papers that Steven Soderbergh will direct. Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas are also in early talks to join the production. No distribution is on board but sources say that Netflix is eyeing it. Frequent Soderbergh collaborator Scott Z Burns wrote the script, which is based on the book by Jake Bernstein titled Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite. The Panama Papers were leaked documents that showed how Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, allowed the wealthy and the connected to funnel money illegally in and around the world. Streep’s character details are being kept in the secret but sources describe it as being the emotional throughline of the movie. Michael Sugar, Lawrence Grey, Gregory Jacobs, Soderbergh and Burns are producing. Streep is coming off an Oscar nomination for playing a real-life figure in Steven Spielberg’s drama The Post and will next appear in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She will also appear in Mary Poppins Returns, reteaming with her Devil Wears Prada co-star, Emily Blunt. Streep is repped by CAA.

The headline, borrowed from Entertainment Weekly, is a bit misleading as it makes you think of Meryl Streep begging Mr. Kelley to be on his show, so let’s focus on his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which he spills the beans on the second season of “Big Little Lies” and Streep’s involvement: What did it take David E. Kelley to be convinced that a second season of Big Little Lies could work? An actress you might have heard of named Meryl Streep. Like many, the writer of HBO’s Emmy juggernaut thought it was best to leave the series as it was originally intended. “I didn’t think it was a very good idea,” Kelley told The Hollywood Reporter. “We wrote it as a one-off and we ended it in a way that was very lyrical. But we ended on a lie. I get so protective of characters and series, too, that I don’t want to damage them in any way, and I so loved how we ended year one and I thought, ‘Let’s just leave it at that.’” And yet, Kelley, along with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and the rest of the powerhouse cast, is back for the seven-episode second season, which is expected to premiere in 2019. So why the change of heart? “A multitude of forces, but mainly it came down to a creative analysis,” said Kelley. “[Big Little Lies author] Liane [Moriarty] wrote a novella of [new] stories, and most of them we’re using. But the genius one was introducing this character who’s being played by Meryl Streep. It’s a delicious character and I felt bringing her in was both liberating and daunting. Daunting because she sets a high bar and you have to measure up, but liberating in that now the show’s not going to be compared to last year. There was freedom in that.”

The final trailer for “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!”, the sequel to the Broadway musical turned blockbuster starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan shot on the Croatian island of Vis, is now out. Mamma Mia 2 will hit cinemas on 20 July and on Tuesday the final trailer, which features some great shots of Vis, came out. The sequel was filmed in September and October last year on the island of Vis for 24 days, with more than 270 Croatian film professionals and extras engaged. Along with the original cast including Meryl Streep, Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, the sequel also features Lily James, Josh Dylan, Jeremy Irvine, Alexa Davies and Jessica Keenan Wynn. Universal Pictures released the first trailer in December last year, followed by another teaser earlier this year. Vis plays the part of a Greek island in the film. Check out the final trailer above and in the video archive.

After an early April launch on-demand, “The Post” has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the United States this Thursday. If you haven’t seen it by now, make sure to grab your copy. Not only is it a timely piece, thrilling and superbly directed by Steven Spielberg, it also features two career-high performances by both Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks – the latter being a deserving Oscar nominee as well! Over 1.000 high quality Blu-Ray screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery, alongside captures from the making of supplements of the disc.

Nicole Kidman has shared a first look at her and Meryl Streep during the second season filming of “Big Little Lies”. As previously reported, Streep is joining the cast as Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s deceased character Perry (and the mother-in-law of Kidman’s widow Celeste). “First day on the set with Meryl and my darling boys,” Kidman wrote on Instagram. In announcing Streep’s hiring back in January, HBO released this teaser for her character: “Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers.” Big Little Lies‘ seven-episode “sequel” is slated to bow in early 2019. The image can be found in full resolution in the photo gallery.

Fans will have to wait until 2019 to return to Monterey, but the cast of Big Little Lies doesn’t have to wait that long. They start filming the new season next week, Reese Witherspoon revealed during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers last night, according to Bazaar. “Y’all we’re starting next Friday on Big Little Lies 2, I can’t believe it,” Witherspoon said. “Not only do we have every cast member coming back, but also Meryl Streep is joining us.” HBO previously announced that Steep would be joining the cast as Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Perry White, played by Alexander Skarsgard in Season 2. Witherspoon also shared her reaction when she found out she would be working with the acting legend. “Well, she sent an email to Nicole and I, and it said, ‘Okay, I read the part and I love it and I’m going to do it.’ And I, like, dropped the phone,” she said. “And then I called Nicole [Kidman] and was like, ‘Is this real life? Like is this really happening?'” Witherspoon said she also hugged herself gently for a moment before calling the show’s writer, David E. Kelley, and jokingly telling him, “you better write me good scenes with Meryl Streep.”

Oscar®-winners Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks team up for the first time in this thrilling film based on a true story. Determined to uphold the nation’s civil liberties, Katharine Graham (Streep), publisher of The Washinton Post, and hard-nosed editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) join forces to expose a decades-long cover-up. But the two must risk their careers and their freedom to bring truth to light in this powerful film with a celebrated cast. Add THE POST to your digital collection on Movies Anywhere™ beginning April 3 and enjoy the ultimate home viewing experience on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 17.

Special Features:
Take in these fascinating documentaries about this riveting, important film and the incredible real-life story it’s based on, featuring director Steven Spielberg, stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, reporters and others. Included are insightful interviews, documents from the Pentagon Papers era, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

Layout: Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee & The Washington Post: Get to know the brave real-life characters at the heart of this story, Kay Graham and Ben Bradlee, who risked everything to tell the truth.

Editorial: The Cast and Characters of The Post: Learn how, once Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks agreed to make this important film, other world-class actors also signed on!

The Style Section: Re-Creating an Era: Visit the 1970s and the Washington Post newsroom in this engaging exploration of how the style of The Pentagon Papers era was created.

Stop the Presses: Filming The Post: You’re invited onto the set with Steven Spielberg, his collaborators and his cast as they meticulously craft each cinematic moment.

Arts and Entertainment: Music for The Post: Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams celebrate their 44-year partnership in this moving tribute to collaboration and friendship.

The Oscars have been handed out and it’s a wrap for the 2018 awards season. As expected, Best Actress went to the marvelous Frances McDormand and “Shape of Water” won Best Picture. There wasn’t much about Meryl at this year’s ceremony, except for a funny bit by Jodie Foster and Jennifer Lawrence, who presented the Best Actress segment. Pictures from the arrivals and the show have been added to the photo gallery with more to come. Edit: Lots of additional pictures have been added with many thanks to Ali, Claudia and Maria, your help has been very appreciated. Also, the Best Actress segment has been added to the video archive.

During tonight’s Oscar broadcast (check the following update for more on the ceremony), Disney released a first teaser for “Mary Poppins Returns” during the commercial breaks. While it doesn’t feature Meryl and only gives a glimpse of Mary Poppins herself (I know, that’s why they call them teasers :-) the trailer gives a good idea of what to expect from Rob Marshall’s film, which is hitting theaters this Christmas. You can watch it below or in the video archive.

Earlier this week, Meryl Streep has attended the nominees luncheon for the 90th Annual Academy Awards. Pictures have been added to the photo gallery. There are also some fantastic new scans from the French Premiere magazine, the British Sight & Sound and Little White Lies magazines and from the German Stern magazine. Many thanks to Alvaro for his contributions. Enjoy reading.