On July 16, 2012, Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones have participated in the press conference for “Hope Springs” at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Pictures can be found in the image library.

A first promotional interview with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones has been released to promote the theatrical release of “Hope Springs”. This interview is rather short and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come these following weeks. You can watch the interview in the video archive. In “Hope Springs”, Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones) get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy to bring back the spice to their marriage. The film releases in US cinemas on August 10, 2012.

As some of you may know, Lisa Kudrow’s originally based web series “Web Therapy” is running in its second season on Showtime, and the current episodes feature Meryl as therapist Camilla Bowner. These episodes haven’t been newly filmes but are taken from the webisodes that were launched in 2010. To my own surprise, there have never been screencaptures from these episodes on Simply Streep, so here they are, also including captures from outtakes and behind the scenes.

According to Variety, Chris Cooper is joining the cast of the Weinstein Company’s upcoming “August: Osage County”. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are already on board to star in the picture, which focuses on the Weston family, a group of people who have to get past their personal differences when the alcoholic husband of Streep’s character goes missing. Cooper has signed on to play Streep’s brother-in-law. With Streep and Roberts on board – and Andrea Riseborough being recently mentioned as well, Cooper’s casting is one more especially talented actor added to the growing list. Factor in the Pulitzer Prize winning source material (the play won the award for drama in 2008) and this project, which is expected to go into production this August, the film certainly has a lot going for it already. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

According to the Daily Mail, actress Andrea Riseborough is in the final stages of negotiations to star with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in the screen version of Tracy Letts’s prize- winning play August: Osage County. Streep and Roberts, respectively play the pill-popping matriarch Violet and her eldest daughter Barbara. Riseborough, meanwhile, is slated to play Violet’s youngest daughter, Karen, who’s likely being written younger as her stage character is notably 40 years of age. The film adaptation (which will be a condensed version of the original play considering that ran 3.5 hours) follows the women of the Weston family whose lives have splintered in many directions until their alcoholic father’s disappearance brings them back to their childhood home and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. I thoroughly enjoyed Andrea Riseborough in “Brighton Rock”, so if she gets the job, it’ll be fantastic to see her opposite Meryl.

A new theatrical poster as well as a new production still for “Hope Springs” have been released and added to the image library. The film, starring Meryl and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple attending a counseling weekend to decide the fate of their marriage, releases next month. In other film news, locations for the upcoming “August: Osage County” are currently being scouted in Washington and Osage counties, according to here.

According to BBC News, George Clooney is to produce the film version of Tracey Letts’ play, August: Osage County, which will star Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. The play, about a dysfunctional family brought back together after their poet father disappears, won the Pulitzer and the Tony awards for best drama in 2008. Streep and Roberts will play mother and daughter in the film. “It’s such a terrific group and we feel honoured to help bring it to the screen,” said Clooney in a statement. The Weinstein company is backing the movie adaptation, while John Wells is directing. Wells is best known for his TV work including ER, Mildred Pierce and the US adaptation of Shameless. And Clooney will be joined by co-producer Grant Heslov, who was also behind the star’s previous films The Ides of March and Good Night and Good Luck. “Grant and I are thrilled to work on this project… I can’t think of anyone better than Harvey to put this all together,” Clooney continued. Weinstein returned the compliment: “George and Grant are gifted producers, with great taste and instincts, and a work ethic that is second to none.” Streep will play a matriarch who is addicted to prescription drugs, while Roberts will portray her eldest daughter Barbara. The play made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s Steppenwolf theatre earlier that year. The rest of the cast has still to be announced. Shooting will begin in the autumn.

The Public Theater today presents Kevin Kline as Romeo and Meryl Streep as Juliet in a one-night-only benefit reading of “Romeo and Juliet” – the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The cast will also feature F. Murray Abraham, Christine Baranski, John Cullum , Raúl Esparza, David Harbour, Bill Irwin, Jesse L. Martin, Sandra Oh, Phylicia Rashad, Jerry Stiller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Christopher Walken, Sharon Washington, Sam Waterston and Jeffrey Wright. Conceived by Public Theater founder Joe Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, over the past five decades, more than five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, this star-studded cast will be joined on stage by live musicians playing original music by award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori.

Additional casting has been announced for one-night-only reading of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at The Public Theater’s Delacorte Theatre in Central Park on Monday, June 18. The reading will be directed by Daniel Sullivan and will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. In addition to Oscar and Tony Award winners Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in the title roles, the reading will feature F. Murray Abraham (Friar Laurence), Christine Baranski (Nurse), John Cullum (Capulet), Raúl Esparza (Sampson, Apothecary, Watchman 1), David Harbour (Abraham, Capulet Servant, Paris’ Page), Bill Irwin (Montague), Jesse L. Martin (Gregory, Friar John, Watchman 2), Sandra Oh (Lady Montague), Phylicia Rashad (Lady Capulet), Jerry Stiller (Peter), Michael Stuhlbarg (Paris), Christopher Walken (Mercutio), Sharon Washington (Stage Directions), Sam Waterston (Benvolio), and Jeffrey Wright (Tybalt), along with an on-stage band playing the music of Jeanine Tesori. The evening will also include dinner al fresco and a party immediately following the performance. Click here for more information and tickets to The Public Theaters gala celebration.