Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty has revealed how Oscar-winner Meryl Streep joined the cast of the hit drama’s second series. Sydney-based Moriarty said she wrote the role – of Nicole Kidman’s mother-in-law, Mary Louise Wright – with Streep in mind, and Kidman played a huge role in securing the Hollywood icon. “I was about half way through (writing) and I was talking to the producers and I said, I’ve got this role of Perry’s mother and … not quite believing my own audacity, I’d like Meryl to play this character,” Moriarty said. “And the producers were laughing at me because they were saying ‘you’ve become so Hollywood’ … as in, picking up the phone and saying, ‘get me Meryl.’” “They were teasing me … but then they were saying, it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities because Nicole and Meryl are friends,” Moriarty said. The Australian author — who penned the book Big Little Lies on which the HBO series was based — named the character “Mary Louise” after Streep and said Kidman was instrumental to Streep joining the cast. “Nicole sent me an email saying, ‘ask and you shall receive,’” Moriarty said. Moriarty said Streep’s character was a “significant role”. Mary Louise (Streep) is the mother of Perry (Alexander Skarsgard), who was married to Celeste (Kidman), and was murdered at the end of season one. “She deeply loved her son … as much as any mother can love her son,” Moriarty said, adding Streep’s character was “deeply grieving” . “She had a slightly fraught relationship with her daughter-in-law, so it’s a very complicated, difficult time. “When I was writing it, I was calling her ‘Meryl’. But then I thought Meryl didn’t suit the character. “So I looked up to see what Meryl’s middle name was and then I saw that, actually, her real name is Mary Louise. And Mary Louise fits the character perfectly.” HBO previously announced that “most” of the cast from season one would return for the seven-episode second season, including Kidman and Reese Witherspoon as executive producers. Production on the second season is due to begin in March and the series will air in 2019.

Spoilers ahead in this unexpected news from today: Meryl Streep is joining Big Little Lies‘ forthcoming second season as a series regular, TVLine has learned. The three-time Oscar winner will play Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s deceased character Perry. “Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers,” per HBO. Translation: Expect some explosive scenes between Streep and recent Emmy winner Nicole Kidman. In teasing Streep’s Big Little Lies storyline, HBO puts to rest speculation that Skarsgard’s Perry might’ve somehow survived that fatal fall in the Season 1 finale. Still, As TVLine reported earlier this week, Skarsgard is expected to reprise his Emmy-winning role, most likely via flashbacks. Big Little Lies Season 2 will consist of seven episodes, all of which will once again be penned by David E. Kelley (based on a story by Liane Moriarty, whose novel served as the source material for Season 1). Meanwhile, Jean-Marc Vallée is passing the directing baton to Andrea Arnold, although Vallée will stay on as an exec producer. Production on Season 2 is scheduled to get underway in March ahead of a 2019 launch. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up.

Lots of new magazines scans from around the world have been added to the photo gallery. There’s a great new cover story from New Zealand, tons of reviews and articles from the British press coverage on “The Post” and lengthy articles from Film Comment and the Spanish Fotogramas and Imagenes. Many thanks as always to the great Alvaro for all the contributions. Enjoy reading.

I am honored beyond measure by this nomination for a film I love, a film that stands in defense of press freedom, and inclusion of women’s voices in the movement of history- Proud of the film, and all her filmmakers. Thank you from a full heart. (Meryl Streep)

The nominations for the 90th Annual Academy Awards have been announced this morning, and “The Post” has scored less than expected with 2 nominations, but those in the major categories of Best Picture and Best Actress! Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were overlooked for nods as Director and Actor, as were multiple possibilities for costumes or score. But hey, it’s been 15 years since Meryl Streep has headlined a film nominated for Best Picture, which was 2002’s “The Hours”. Meryl Streep shares the Best Actress category with Sally Hawkins for “The Shape of Water”, Saoirse Ronan for “Lady Bird”, Margot Robbie for “I, Tonya” and recent frontrunner Frances McDormand for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”. “The Shape of Water” has received the most nominations of the year with 13. A ful list of nominees can be read here. The 90th Annual Academy Awards will be handed out on March 04, 2018.

Even more pictures from this week’s promotional tour for “The Post” in the United Kingdom, France and Italy have been added to the photo gallery. In France, Meryl and Tom were guests on the talkshow “C à vous”, from which screencaptures and the full video have been uploaded. In the United Kingdom, there have been appearances on both The Andrew Marr Show and Lorraine. And in Italy, a premiere was held after the press conference on Monday. To launch all last added pictures, click one of the previews above. Many thanks to Mouza for her contributions.

While there’s still material coming out of the promotion tours in the United Kingdom ad France, the “Post” team is already attending the Italian promotion for the film. That’s what I call a comprehensive press tour. Today, they were at a press conference and photocall in Milan, after attending the Italian talkshow “Che tempo che fa” on Sunday. The full 53 minute interview can be watched in the video archive. Also today, “Lorraine” aired an interview segment with Tom and Meryl. Everything has been added, either to the photo gallery or the video archive, so have a look at the latest additions below.

A great batch of magazine scans have been added to the photo gallery, with many thanks to Alvaro. Among the new additions is the full Telegraph magazine article, a nice 2-page article from the British Hello magazine and numerous reviews from the British and American press. For a complete overview of all last added scans, have a look at the previews below.

Forbes has the numbers for “The Post”‘s box office since its wide release this Friday: The critically-acclaimed (but not quite award-drenched) Steven Spielberg drama, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, had earned $4.2 million in platform release over the last few weeks beginning on Christmas weekend. Sure, the Washington Post/Pentagon Papers journalistic thriller/drama played great to the film nerd crowd, but how would it do in general release? Well, if this weekend was any indication, pretty damn well! The $50m-budgeted 20th Century Fox release earned a solid $22.2 million over the long holiday, including $18.6m over the Fri-Sun frame. That gives the film a $26m domestic total and a nice headstart should it parlay the buzz into Oscar nominations. If it’s merely as leggy as Bridge of Spies (platform release notwithstanding), we’re looking at a $90-$95 million domestic total. But this should be the kind of movie that plays huge to your parents and grandparents who will seek it out at their convenience, so a total closer to Captain Phillips ($125m) if not quite Lincoln or Hidden Figures ($170m) wouldn’t shock me in the least. It’s a coin toss as to whether The Post will be the first straight Steven Spielberg drama since Amistad in 1997 not to get a Best Picture nomination. Either way, this one is a rock-solid studio programmer, so I expect long legs as our parents and/or grandparents check it out at their convenience. There is a tragic irony, in that Spielberg was among those who created the modern popcorn blockbuster and now is among the few that can both make and profit from adult-skewing character-driven, star vehicle dramas in 2018.

After the London promotion and just squeezed in before visiting Italy, the “Post” crew has visited Paris, France on Saturday. First, there was a half-hour press conference, which can be watched in its entirity in the video archive. In the evening, Streep, Hanks and Spielberg gathered for the premiere at the Cinema UGC Normandie. Many thanks to Mouza for contributing many pictures.

Lots of new video clips have been added to the archive. In case you have missed it, there are interviews from the Palms Springs Film Festival and the red carpets of the Golden Globe Awards and National Board of Review Awards. There’s also a new featurette on “The Post” including a newly taped interview with Meryl, as well as interviews with her and Tom Hanks on CNN’s Amanpour and ITV News during the UK promotion. A full video of the London press conference has been added as well. There seems to be bad news as well – as the Graham Norton Show has aired this evening, Tom Hanks was there but Meryl Streep was not. I don’t think she’ll appear next week instead, but I haven’t seen it yet so I don’t know if her absence was mentioned. Nevertheless, these new clips should provide you with plenty of Meryl, so enjoy the new additions.