Meryl Streep to play Margaret Thatcher
(Agencies)
2010-07-01 15:17
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LOS ANGELES - Meryl Streep is in talks to reteam with her "Mamma Mia!" director for "Thatcher," a biopic of the former British prime minister.
Jim Broadbent would play Margaret Thatcher's husband, Denis, for the British production.
The film, to be directed by Phyllida Lloyd, is set in 1982 and tracks Thatcher as she tries to save her career in the 17 days preceding the 1982 Falklands War. The 2 1/2-month war was a turning point for the prime minister, who, after the victory, saw her approval ratings double and went on to win a second term.
Producer Damien Jones ("Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll") came up with the story with screenwriter Brian Fillis.
If a deal is completed, the role of Thatcher would be the highest-profile character yet tackled by Streep, who has garnered Oscar nominations for playing real-life women such as whistleblower Karen Silkwood, author Susan Orlean and cooking guru Julia Child.
Lloyd, a British theater director known for her work in the opera world, elicited energy and brought out youthfulness in Streep in her feature adaptation of "Mamma Mia!," which grossed more than