Mar
07
2007

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Pierce Brosnan is in final negotiations to join Meryl Streep in the movie version of the popular ABBA musical “Mamma Mia!” The story revolves around a bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) and her formerly rebellious mom (Streep) who raised her on a Greek island and never disclosed the identity of her father. The bride locates three men who might be her father and invites them to her wedding. Brosnan will play the main father figure. Phyllida Lloyd is directing the Universal project; ABBA members and songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus will serve as executive producers, as will Tom Hanks.

Jan
11
2007

According to Variety, Meryl Streep is set to star in the upcoming movie version of Phyllida Lloyd’s musical “Mamma Mia”. Lloyd, who directed the original in London as well as its Broadway incarnation, will make her feature directing debut on the pic, which will be shot in London and Greece. Streep will play the rebellious single mother of a bride-to-be who never met her father. The daughter invites three likely paternal candidates to her wedding, and the ensuing conflict triggers the performance of 22 Abba hits. An accomplished singer, Streep had been wooed for musical adaptations including “Evita,” but “Mamma Mia” is her first full-blown musical. She sang in films including “Postcards From the Edge” and last year’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Producer Judy Craymer is quoted by Variety that Meryl “was always at the top of our wish list, and she encapsulates the spirit and energy and has the powerhouse qualities that character requires”.