According to Vanity Fair, Rick Springfield has joined Meryl Streep in the upcoming Jonathan Demme–directed, Diablo Cody–written film Ricki and the Flash. Last month, Springfield posted a photo on Twitter of himself with the Oscar-winning actress before promptly taking it down. But now that the news has been broken by The Hollywood Reporter, the snapshot is back up as proof of the unlikely on-screen partnership. The outlet notes that “Springfield will play a bandmember who has a crush on Ricki, and he’ll be showing off his skills on the guitar in the project.” Last week, we learned that filming on the project was on hold because the director insisted that Streep, who is playing a struggling musician, learn how to play the guitar herself. No word on whether Springfield is helping tutor the actress. According to last week’s report, the band will “mostly play classic rock” plus some contemporary music, possibly Lady Gaga. And according to Broadway World, The Book of Mormon’s Ben Platt has signed on as well. He will play Daniel, the bartender at Ricki and the Flash’s regular spot, who worships Streep’s Ricki. The film, about “a woman who abandoned her family when she was younger to find fame and fortune in California,” begins shooting this October. Kevin Kline and Streep’s real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer, round out the cast as Ricki’s ex-husband and estranged daughter. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.
