BroadwayWorld has announced the “world-exlusive” confirmed casting for “Into the Woods”. Leading “Into the Woods” will be Meryl Streep as The Witch, James Corden as The Baker, Emily Blunt as The Baker's Wife, Johnny Depp as The Wolf, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Cinderella's Prince, Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel's Prince, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Lucy Punch as Lucinda, Tammy Blanchard as Florinda, Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Mother and Tracey Ullman as Jack's Mother. At this time, the actors in the roles of Jack and Little Red Ridinghood are still unconfirmed.

More actors have been announced for “Into the Woods”. According to Deadline, stage and screen actress Tammy Blanchard is in negotiations to join Disney‘s Into the Woods, the fairytale movie musical directed by Rob Marshall. Blanchard earned Tony nominations for her turns in the stage revival Gypsy: A Musical Fable and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and a Golden Globe nod for her performance as the teenage Judy Garland in ABC’s telefilm Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, which also won her an Emmy. She’ll play the role of Florinda, one of Cinderella’s evil step sisters, opposite Lucy Punch and Christine Baranski as the iconic princess’s stepmother. Filming is scheduled for fall in London on the adaptation of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning musical. According to the same source, Billy Magnussen has replaced Jake Gyllenhaal, who dropped out earlier, and MacKenzie Mauzy has landed the plum role of Princess Rapunzel. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up.

John Wells’ “August: Osage County”, the film adaptation of Tracy Lett’s Tony Award-winning play, will make its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced this morning. Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martingdale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Sam Shepard and Ewan McGregor, the drama hits theaters on Christmas Day 2013. The film will see Streep and Roberts playing family matriarch Violet and her eldest daughter, respectively. This year’s TIFF opens on September 5 and runs through September 15. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

While Simply Streep isn’t using Facebook or any of the countless social media features, I do have a Twitter account for the site which I find very handy. A predecessor for the good old newsletter (a feature on fansites that didn’t survive the time of social media), you get an instant notification on last updates and news. From today, a new feature will be launched for Twitter followers – the Gallery of the Week and the Video of the Week. Once a week, usually on Sundays, a spotlight will be posted for a gallery album – may it be a public appearance, a set of film stills or magazine scans. Since the image library has been growing over the years with over 100.000 pictures, I’m sure there are parts of the gallery that some visitors have never seen. It also gives me the chance to add some new pictures or update them in better quality. Ditto for the video archive, with a link being posted sometime during the week. So in case you’re not following Simply Streep on Twitter, make sure to join. The first Gallery of the Week has been chosen already.

According to ComingSoon.net, Jake Gyllenhaal is dropping out of Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” to focus on his upcoming indie flick “Nightcrawler”. Scheduling conflicts forced Gyllenhaal to choose between the two projects. The actor was slated to star as one of the princes. Meanwhile, Anna Kendrick is in talks to join “Into the Woods” as Cinderella, The Hollywood Reporter. Kendrick’s name has been announced earlier as well since she has taken part in a table reading for Rob Marshall last year, although some sources have misinterpreted this as an already done deal. Since production is scheduled to start in a couple of weeks, it sure won’t take too long to find out. Thanks to Glenn for the news.

While sorting my files, I’ve realised there are quite a few video clips that haven’t been added to the archive. Until now :-) Ten new video files have been uploaded, all coming from public appearances, such as conversation panels or special events. There are some real treats, such as a report on the 1992 press conference for “Death Becomes Her” in Paris or Meryl’s very funny conversation with Jane Pauly at Indiana University in 2010. Also, two new interview clips for “A Prairie Home Companion” and “The Hours” have been added. A complete list of the latest additions can be found below. Enjoy watching.

Video Archive – Public Appearances – A Magical Evening (2011)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Indiana University – An Evening of Conversation (2010)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Apple Store SoHo: Meet the Filmmakers (2009)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Global Environmental Citizen Award (2007)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Lemony Snicket Screening at JBF Center (2004)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Walk of Fame (1998)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Dancing at Lughnasa Premiere Glenties (1998)
Video Archive – Public Appearances – Death Becomes Her Press Conference (1992)
Video Archive – Films – A Prairie Home Companion – Interview 03
Video Archive – Films – The Hours – Interview 02 (additional footage)

As you might have noticed, it’s running slow these days regarding Meryl news. Which leaves some time to focus on the site’s various subpages. To start with articles and interviews, over 100 new scans in the image library. To view all latest pictures, click any of the previews below. A complete list can be found below. My thanks to those who have contributed the scans to the Simply Streep archive, it’s very appreciated. For new transcripts and archive additions, scroll a bit more down :-)

Additionally, ten article transcripts have been added to the magazine archive. There’s also the option to sort articles by cover-story, which makes it easier if you’re looking for a specific update. Enjoy reading.

Just as we were reporting on “Into the Wood”‘s Christmas Day 2014 release, the Weinstein Company has a Christmas present for moviegoers as well – at least this sounds better news than saying that “August: Osage County” has been shifted a good month into December. According to The Wrap, The Weinstein Company on Thursday shifted the release date of one of its main awards hopefuls, “August: Osage County,” to Christmas Day. It had been scheduled to debut on November 8. Christmas is getting crowded. Also set to debut on that day are Universal’s Keanu Reeves action drama “47 Ronin,” Paramount’s Chris Pine-Keira Knightley action thriller “Jack Ryan” and the Fox comedy “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Mark your calendars, in case you already have one dating that far into the future :-) According to The Huffington Post, “Into the Woods” will release US theaters Christmas – next year. They write, “Coming Christmas 2014: the case of the competing family fare. Disney has announced it will pit its buzzy remake of “Annie” against Sony’s equally buzzy adaptation of “Into the Woods.” Both have been the subject of endless casting updates over the past several weeks. The latest news has Sandra Bullock possibly taking on the role of Miss Hannigan in “Annie”; comedian Tracey Ullman, meanwhile, will potentially join Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and the rest of the all-star lineup that “Into the Woods” boasts. The two films will have a heck of a feat ahead of them next year during the lead-up to their releases, which will also thrust lip-locking pals Bullock and Streep against each other at the box office”. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tracey Ullman is in negotiations to join the growing cast of Into the Woods, Disney’s adaptation of the Broadway musical being directed by Rob Marshall. Ullman will join an all-star roster that is likley to include Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emily Blunt, all of whom are in various stages of negotiations to be part of the production. The play is a darkly comic mashup of classic fairy tales that revolves around a childless baker and his wife (Blunt), who attempt to lift a family curse by journeying into the woods to confront the witch that put the spell on them. Along the way, they encounter a group of characters including Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Ullman will play the mother to Jack the Giant Killer, who has yet to be cast. Streep is playing a witch and Depp is taking on a variation of the fairy tale wolf. Gyllenhaal and Pine play princes to Cinderella and Rapunzel. Many thanks to Frank and Glenn for the heads-up.