According to Variety, Sony is in negotiations to take North American distribution on “Great Hope Springs,” the Meryl Streep domestic drama. Lionsgate Intl. is selling the rights at Cannes. A Sony rep confirmed the negotiations Saturday. “Great Hope Springs,” to be directed by David Frankel, centers on a middle-aged couple who, after 30 years of marriage, attend an intense counseling weekend to examine the intimacy issues threatening their marriage. Steve Carell portrays a therapist. Vanessa Taylor penned the script. While there still hasn’t been an official announcement on Meryl’s involvement, it sounds like a fair deal if they sell the film with her name attached.

Deadline has, once again, the exclusive scoop on “Great Hope Springs”: “I’m told that Tommy Lee Jones has surfaced as the front-runner to play Meryl Streep’s husband in the David Frankel-directed Great Hope Springs. Mandate Pictures recently set Streep as one half of the troubled couple and Steve Carell to play the marriage therapist who tries to help rekindle their loveless relationship after 31 years of marriage. It’s their last shot before divorce. Vanessa Taylor wrote the script. Escape Artists’ Todd Black and Film 360’s Guymon Casady are producing. Shooting starts in August.” Personally, while I am still not sure if this film is going to happen this soon – I consider Mr. Jones the best actor of his time, so he would be a perfect match for Meryl Streep.

News on the previously mentioned “Great Hope Springs” have been slow lately. Although it was promoted as a done deal back in Autumn 2010, there hasn’t been any news on the comedy drama ever since. Now, Deadline not only reports that director Mike Nichols has been replaced by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada), but also that Steve Carrell has been cast as the couple’s therapist (thanks for those letting me know since I originally wrote he was cast as the husband). As the husband, the latest news have been on James Gandolfini. No further sources or dates have been published. Personally, I think this is not close to being official as of now – especially since the first article says that Meryl is “in final negotiations” while the second article quotes the first one by saying she “officially signed on”. Let’s wait :-)

I’m not sure how reliable these news are – but in terms of unofficial movie news, I guess nothing is :-) According to Cinema Blend, in quoting Deadline New York, Streep and Nichols are very much involved, but Bridges isn’t attached to “Great Hope Springs” anymore.

Continuted from Cinema Blend: It’s a bummer not just because it would have been awesome to see The Dude and Julia Child team up as an age-appropriate couple, but because it’s pretty hard to find an actor in Streep’s age range who’s remotely up to her challenge. She and Stanley Tucci made a great team both in Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia but Tucci is actually 11 years her junior. At 60 Streep is seven years older than Tom Hanks but more than a decade younger than Robert Redford, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman – all the actors who were her contemporaries in the 70s. Bridges and Streep are nearly exactly the same age, which is just another reason they would have been perfect together.

While still unofficial, according to the Wrap, Mike Nichols is in talks to direct Mandate Pictures’ “Great Hope Springs,” an individual familiar with the project told TheWrap. Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges are currently close to finalizing deals to star in the dramedy. CAA, which represents Nichols, Streep and Bridges, would not confirm the negotiations. This would be the fifth project for Nichols and Streep after “Silkwood” (1983), “Heartburn” (1986), “Postcards from the Edge” (1990) and “Angels in America” (2003).

According to Coming Soon, Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges are in talks to star in Escape Artists’ “Great Hope Springs”. Philip Seymour Hoffman is also circling the project but may not be able to join in due to schedule conflicts. The film, written by Vanessa Taylor Writer, is about a couple who have been married for thirty years and attend an intense counseling weekend to decide the fate of their marriage. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Guymon Casady and Steve Tisch are producing the dramedy.

“In talks” basically means that the two are considered, or wanted for this projects, so I wouldn’t count it as an official project for now. Be sure I keep you posted on further information.