A lenghty, very interesting article on “The Post” by The Guardian: It has been described as a Hollywood all-star team’s riposte to Donald Trump. Steven Spielberg’s new film, The Post, headlined by Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, dramatises the Washington Post’s publication of the classified Pentagon Papers, which exposed government lies about the Vietnam war. But while there are well chronicled parallels between the administrations and obsessions of Trump and Richard Nixon, the movie is also provoking debate about the role of media as watchdog – and whether a similar leak today would survive partisan attempts to discredit the messenger. Spielberg consulted Daniel Ellsberg, the Rand Corporation strategic analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers – a top-secret 7,000-page document detailing US strategy in south-east Asia from 1945 to 1967 – to New York Times journalist Neil Sheehan in 1971. It was a bombshell that revealed the White House knew it was fighting an unwinnable war. After the Nixon administration won a court injunction that stopped the presses, Ellsberg gave a copy of the documents to the Post and 17 other newspapers. The Times and Post fought the order for 15 days until the supreme court overturned the ban in a 6-3 decision. Justice William Douglas wrote: “The dominant purpose of the first amendment was to prohibit the widespread practice of governmental suppression of embarrassing information.” But the justice department still pursued a vendetta against Ellsberg. He went on trial in 1973 on charges of espionage, conspiracy and stealing government property. The charges were dismissed due to gross governmental misconduct and illegal evidence gathering against him. The Pentagon Papers were declassified in 2011 and released for the public. The complete article can be read over at The Guardian with many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Steven Spielberg unveiled his latest movie, The Post, in New York City Sunday night with a screening and panel alongside Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk and Matthew Rhys. You can view the Q&A in the video archive on Simply Streep with many thanks to GoldDerby. The Fox newspaper drama recounts how the Washington Post’s publisher Katharine Graham (Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) teamed up to catch up with The New York Times and publish the Pentagon Papers, risking court sanctions to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets related to the Vietnam War that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Tracy Letts, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods are among the ensemble cast of the movie, which is dedicated to the late Nora Ephron. Though reviews and social media judgments from those who attended the screening are under strict embargo, the audience at AMC Lincoln Square greeted Spielberg and the cast with a standing ovation. During the post-screening panel, Spielberg outlined how the movie quickly came together over the space of just nine months, from the moment producer Amy Pascal flagged Liz Hannah’s spec script to the movie’s first screening. An in-depth article can be found over at The Hollywood Reporter.

The theatrical trailer has been launched today, and it looks AMAZING! Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in The Post, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers – and their very freedom – to help bring long-buried truths to light.

The Post marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project. In addition to directing, Spielberg produces along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, and the film features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods. You can watch the trailer below and in the video archive. New production stills, on-set pictures, trailer screencaptures and the one-sheet have been added to the photo gallery.

Fotogramas has the first official image of the movie, which brings together an insanely stacked cast – Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlberg, Zach Woods, and Bradley Whitford – to tell the story about the release of the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s, which helped turn around public opinion on the Vietnam War. And yes, there will be some very relevant connections to today’s political climate.

“The film is absolutely Steven’s statement about the importance of vigorous and free press in America. Because we have a President that keeps attacking the press,” “Spielberg” director Susan Lacy told Metro. “…it’s the reason he is making [the film], I mean it is a true story and a historic story, but the reason he chose to make it now is because he feels like it is a message that needs to be out there. I don’t want to speak for him, but I think that’s why he is clearly making this film now,” she added. Sounds like potent stuff, and here’s hoping it’s not too long until the trailer. “The Post” opens on December 22nd.

I’m very happy to introduce a new feature to Simply Streep. My favorite part of the site has always been the career section. After all, it’s Meryl’s body of work we’re all celebrating and striving to learn more about. So ever since I was thinking about how to supply all essential information about a project and its making. A lot of effort is put not only into the film, but also into its promotion. So I’ve decided to give each project a press section, showcasing all related public appearances, talkshow visits, articles and award show appearances that came with the respective production. On each film page, you will find a link to the press section in the sub-menu. Let’s take Mamma Mia! as an example: The new sub-site gives you a great overlook on the international press tours for the film, starting in Greece and concluding in Tokyo. There are radio interviews to listen to, talkshow appearances to watch and articles from all countries in the world. The wealth of material depends on how a film was promoted around the world – not every press tour was as extensive as The Iron Lady for example, but there will be great discoveries, especially on her work in the 1980s and 1990s. So, head over to the career page, select a film and then simply click the press coverage to launch the new sites. I hope you enjoy browsing them as much as I do.

According to Deadline, Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers movie finally has a title. Fox said today that the pic about the Washington Post’s role in exposing the Pentagon Papers in 1971 will be called The Post. It officially was known as Untitled Steven Spielberg after earlier being titled The Papers. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star as Post editor Ben Bradlee and publisher Kay Graham alongside Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Pat Healy, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford, Zach Woods and others. Liz Hannah and Josh Singer wrote the script. The film is keeping its Oscar-friendly December 22 limited-release date and is set to go wide January 12.

CBS Sunday Morning has had a nice report on the Yale Rep’s 50th anniversary, including an interview with Meryl Streep. “The Rep” — what insiders call the Yale Repertory Theatre, now marking its 50th season. It’s a unique entity on the American theater scene, a place where graduate students at the Yale Drama School work side-by side with experts in every aspect of theater. Some of the students who have trod these boards include Liev Schreiber, Angela Bassett, Paul Giamatti, Frances McDormand, Lupita Nyong’o and Henry Winkler. But the classes of 1974 and ’75 are probably the most famous: Actress Sigourney Weaver; Tony Award-winning playwright Christopher Durang and costume designer William Ivy Long; and Meryl Streep, who put on a false nose for a play called “The Idiot’s Karamozov.” “Oh, my God, it’s unnervingly close – yeah, that was fun!” said Streep. “You didn’t try to look beautiful!” laughed Braver. “No, that wasn’t the aim! And I succeeded.” “But it’s one of things that I think has made your movies so wonderful, because although you look beautiful in a lot of them, you don’t seem to care whether you do or not.” “Well, there are so many different kinds of people to play, and not all of them have long, blonde hair. So I realized that if I wanted to have an interesting career, you’ve just got to upend people’s expectations.” The complete article can be read here, the video can be found in the video archive, and screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

To read more about Mary Poppins Returns, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy it here now. It’s no secret that all nannies are compared to one single, supernaturally-inclined doyenne of discipline who flew in on the eastern wind in 1964. The iconic character has stayed in the hearts of moviegoers in the decades since she first burst onto the screen — and now, she’s back. Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns (in theaters Christmas 2018) might be one of the highest-profile sequels ever attempted, more than half a century after Walt Disney’s cinematic classic immortalized the careers of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, smashed records, got a word in the dictionary (guess which one) and become one of the most cherished films of all time. This time, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) leads Michael’s wayward children (and Jane and Michael themselves) on a series of unbelievable adventures — to the top of Big Ben, the bottom of the ocean, into magical encounters with animated dancing penguins and upside-down cousins (hey, Meryl Streep!). If anyone can help this family find the light they’ve lost, it’s Mary Poppins. The complete article can be read over at Entertainment Weekly and a first on-set picture can be found in the photo gallery.

Today, Variety brings us some surprising, very unexpected news. Universal is officially moving along on a sequel to the 2008 hit “Mamma Mia,” with “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” scribe Ol Parker writing and directing the new movie. The studio also dated the film, titled “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!,” for July 20, 2018. Playtone Pictures, which produced the first pic, is back on for the sequel. Universal has been bouncing around ideas for years on how to proceed with the box office smash. Sources say that one angle could focus on Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan characters years before the original takes place. The first film is based on the iconic musical about a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular ’70s group Abba. The sequel will feature Abba songs not featured in the 2008 movie, “along with some reprised favorites,” according to the studio’s announcement. Littlestar’s Judy Craymer and Playtone’s Gary Goetzman, who produced the original, will reteam for the sequel. Craymer is also the creator and producer of the stage musical. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are aboard again to provide music and lyrics and serve as executive producers. Parker is best known for writing both “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies.

Meryl Streep, has called for the freeing of Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker sentenced to 20 years in jail after being subjected to a sham trial in Russia. Streep was pictured alongside Ukrainian lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem with a “Free Sentsov” sign in a photograph taken during the PEN America Annual Literary Gala on April 25, at which Sentsov was honoured with a 2017 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write award. Nayyem, who posted the photograph on his Facebook account on April 30, said that the actress was genuinely interested in Sentsov’s case, and eager to help. “She was already aware of the fact that one of the nominees is an imprisoned filmmaker, but didn’t know (Sentsov’s) entire story,” Nayyem wrote, “I told her about the case, (Sentsov’s) family, Crimea, (Russian) nationality being forced upon him, and his two children stuck in the annexed territory.” Nayyem said that Streep asked him how she could help, which is when the lawmaker told her about the Pen America campaign for freeing Sentsov and suggested they take a photograph with a “Free Sentsov” sign to raise awareness. “She agreed without hesitating,” Nayyem says, adding that she also asked Nayyem to be in the photograph too. “Who will believe that I came up with this sign myself?” Nayyem quoted Streep as saying.The complete article can be read over at Kyiv Post, with many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.