While there’s still no official confirmation of Meryl Streep or any of the other stars being on board of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women”, the film team is currently looking for extras in the Boston area for a October-December shoot of the film. Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet and Laura Dern are in talks to star alongside Streep in the role of Aunt March. While many anticipated that Streep would play Marmie, the March sisters’ mother, she will in fact assume what may be a meatier role. “Meryl Streep gets to play any part she wants to play,” said Robin Swicord, who wrote the 1994 film version of Little Women starring Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst. Though Aunt March hasn’t enjoyed nearly as much screen time as Marmie in most previous film and television adaptations of Little Women, Gerwig’s screenplay will focus more on the sisters’ young-adult lives after they leave the family home, which likely means more focus on Aunt March and her very contentious selection of which sister to bring to Europe. The complete article about the Boston casting call can be read over here.

Universal Pictures is prepping “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” fora 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray release in the United States on October 23, 2018. International releases should be likewise around the same time since the film opened in most European cities a few days after the US release. The discs will be action packed with special features, have a look at the full list below. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon.com.

– Deleted/Extended Songs and Scenes with Commentary by Director/Screenplay Writer Ol Parker

– Sophie’s Story – Of all the characters, Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie has developed the most since the first movie. Here we will chart how Sophie has gone from a vulnerable young girl to a confident young woman following life-changing events.

– Choreographing MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN – Choreographer Anthony Van Laast and his team will reveal some of the secrets behind the highly original dance routines.

– Dancing Queen: Anatomy of a Scene – The most famous piano roll in musical history opens one of ABBA’S biggest hits, “Dancing Queen.” The number is the biggest and most complex sequence. Ol Parker will discuss where and how he wanted to use the song in the story.

Big Little Lies may not be returning for Season 2 until 2019, but there is some consolation — the first official footage of Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies is here, and it’s already proving worth the wait. The iconic actor appeared for just a second or two in a new HBO promo video that was released Sunday, but even just that one glimpse is an embarrassment of riches. The promo was, unfortunately, not a Big Little Lies teaser, but rather one for all of HBO original shows, crowded with teasers from True Detective, Veep, and even Game of Thrones. But somehow Streep stood out anyway, holding her own even against the sneak peek of Daenery Targaryen and her dragons from the final season of Game of Thrones. It’s a hard field to stand out in, but it should be no surprise that Streep is managing it, even with only a brief blip of screen time. It was previously announced that the 69-year-old would be brought onto Big Little Lies Season 2 to playing Mary Louise Wright, mother to Alexander Skarsgård’s character Perry, and thus mother-in-law to Nicole Kidman’s character Celeste. And while exact plot details aren’t yet known, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Mary Louise is in town to check in on her grandchildren and get some answers about what happened to her son. It’s a reasonable motivation that should make total sense to anyone who remembers the events of BLL’s Season 1 finale. More bits by Bustle with thanks to everybody for the heads-up!

According to Variety, Emma Watson is set to join Greta Gerwig’s star-studded remake of “Little Women.” Sources say Watson is playing the part originally intended for Emma Stone, who was unable to join the project because of promotional obligations for the Fox Searchlight film and award season contender “The Favourite.” With production expected to start next month, Sony moved quickly to approach Watson. Roles are still being worked out and it is unknown which sister Watson would be playing. Gerwig is writing and directing, with Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, and Florence Pugh in negotiations to star in Sony’s retelling of the American classic. The project had been set up at Columbia Pictures for some time, with Amy Pascal set to produce with Denise Di Novi and Robin Swicord. Andrea Giannetti will oversee the production for Sony. The novel by Louisa May Alcott, which follows the March sisters in Civil War-era America, has been adapted multiple times for film and television, including the 1994 Winona Ryder version. The BBC’s “Little Women” miniseries aired late last year. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Tribeca TV Festival has unveiled the lineup for its second edition, set to take place Sept. 20-23 in New York. The festival will feature premiere screenings of and panels with the people behind the latest seasons of various small-screen series. It will also screen the premiere of the latest season of Tracey Ullman’s Show, followed by a discussion between the HBO show’s eponymous star and executive producer and Meryl Streep. “TV reaches audiences anywhere – in their homes, on their tablets, on their phones — but it’s also special to experience them on the big screen with others at the Tribeca TV Festival,” said Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro. Tribeca co-founder and executive chair Jane Rosenthal added, “Tribeca has created a platform that lets episodic storytellers experience their stories directly with their audiences. We’re excited to celebrate these cultural icons and new voices with the second annual TV Festival.”

Filming for season two of Big Little Lies wrapped earlier this week and the star-studded cast took to Instagram to celebrate. In honour of the momentous occasion, Nicole Kidman wrote: “That’s a wrap on #BigLittleLies Season 2 filming! What a beautiful journey this has been with my Monterey 5 sisters and our passionate dedicated crew. Thank you HBO for the amazing opportunity and thank you Andrea Arnold for being our fearless leader, and of course the one and only Meryl Streep for believing in us. I love you all. xx” Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon – who plays the role of Madeline Mackenzie – teased fans of the HBO series with a series of behind-the-scenes snaps. Below the throwback collage, Witherspoon paid tribute to her fellow cast members in a touching caption which read: “Feeling so grateful to my #BigLittleLies family on our last day of shooting Season 2! You have all inspired me, supported me, made me laugh & cry. Making the second season even more exciting than the last (I can’t wait for y’all to see it!!) Thank you @HBO and our amazing Director Andrea Arnold! Big love to my sisters.” Arnold took the artistic helm after Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée – who directed season one – was tied up with other work commitments. It has yet to be confirmed when season two of the Golden Globe-winning series will grace our screens but it is estimated to land in 2019. However, HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, told Vulture that “it wouldn’t be impossible to get on in 2018.”

The sequel to the hit 2008 musical has successfully surpassed a $100 million gross at the US box office, Screen Daily reports. Another $5.8 million was added to its cumulative total this weekend, bringing it to a lively $103.8 million in the US alone. Its global haul is now thought to be north of $280 million. The first movie made around $144.1 million in the US upon its release in 2008 – and while it seems unlikely now that this follow-up will match it, it’s still done very impressively indeed. It’s also still doing well in the UK, after reigning at No1 for three consecutive weekends – beating even Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Ant-Man and the Wasp for a hat-trick of Friday-to-Sunday victories. Whether or not it managed a fourth weekend at the top won’t be announced until tomorrow. Mamma Mia’s success is continuing on the UK album chart too: on Friday it was confirmed that it is at the top of the charts for a third straight week in the UK. The album contains the cast recordings of all the tracks heard in the movie, plus Lily James singing I Wonder (Departure) and Meryl Streep’s take on The Day Before You Came. The soundtrack to the first Mamma Mia movie is also still in the Top 10, as is the country’s second best-selling album of all time: ABBA’s Gold greatest hits collection. Whether or not the film will be followed by a Mamma Mia 3 remains to be seen, but Amanda Seyfried has said she doubts it could happen without seeming like an obvious money-grab. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

“Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” is holding up at the box office at the second spot – adding $4.8 million to its haul – after this week’s release of the new “Mission Impossible” took the predicted first place with moviegoers. But “Mamma Mia” has another market to score – as long as Tom Cruise doesn’t start singing on “MI” – the film’s soundtrack is doing great numbers in various markets, including a No. 1 spot in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. After initially debuting inside the top 10 last week, the soundtrack that accompanies the second Mamma Mia! musical film has bolted to the top of the album chart in the U.K. According to the Official Charts Company, the upbeat collection shifted 35,000 equivalent units this frame, which was enough to land it on the throne. Judy Craymer told OfficialCharts.com: “It is fantastic news that the soundtrack to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has gone to Number 1. It’s the celebration of our wonderful cast featuring Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Andy Garcia, Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters and Meryl Streep – and of course Cher, singing Fernando.” Many thanks to Glenn for collecting all these information. Much appreciated!

Over the weekend, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” grossed an estimated $34.4 million. The numbers could shift when final weekend earnings are tallied on Monday. Overseas, the female-fueled pic debuted to $42.4 million from its first 43 markets for a global bow of $76.8 million. The U.K. led with $13.1 million. The female-fueled Mamma Mia 2 is by no means a disappointment in North America and opened in line with expectations. As it turned out, Equalizer 2 beat projections, thanks to an ethnically diverse audience and keen interest among men. (Rival studios show the movie coming in closer to $35 million, but Sony is counting on a strong Sunday.) Internationally, it only debuted in 11 markets, earning $3.3 million. Mamma Mia 2’s domestic opening came in 22 percent head of the first Mamma Mia!, which opened to $27.7 million in summer 2008, not adjusted for inflation. A big curiosity factor is Cher, who along with Lily James, are among the newcomers to the Mamma Mia! brand. Returning stars included Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard. The story traverses time to when Streep’s character (Donna) is pregnant. Mamma Mia 2 is one of the few 2018 summer event films targeting females, who made up more than 80 percent of Friday’s audience, according to comScore.

With “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” hitting theaters around the world these days, two new magazines scans have been added to the photo gallery that mention Meryl in their coverage – Empire Magazine has a nice experts ranking of her film, while The Mail on Sunday’s Event has put the cast on their cover and on six pages inside. Edit: Lots of additional newspaper clippings on the film’s release, as well as a two-page article from Closer Magazine, have been added as well. Many thanks to Alvaro for sending in all those scans. Enjoy!