Meryl Streep Eyed for a “Nasty, Passionate” Horror Role in New Script From THE LONG WALK Screenwriter
Screenwriter JT Mollner, known for his gritty thrillers and psychological mind-benders, has crafted a horror role like no other, and he’s got Meryl Streep in his sights.
“I've written something for Meryl Streep. It's a nasty, passionate horror role like nothing she's ever played,” Mollner revealed on X. “She's our greatest living actor, so I know it's a long shot, but damn would it be cool if she said yes.”
Streep, with her powerhouse resume, has rarely stepped into the horror genre. She famously leaned into dark comedy with the cult favorite Death Becomes Her back in the '90s, and dabbled in psychological thriller territory with Still of the Night in 1982. But a full-blown, nasty horror role? That would be completely uncharted territory for her.
Lately, Streep has been staying light and playful with her work. She’s currently filming The Devil Wears Prada 2, reprising her iconic role as Miranda Priestly, and recently appeared in Only Murders in the Building and Adam McKay’s Don't Look Up.
Meanwhile, Mollner is continuing to carve out a space in the horror-thriller world. He wrote and directed the intense 2023 cat-and-mouse film Strange Darling and made a brutal splash with the Western Outlaws and Angels in 2016. Most recently, he penned the screenplay for The Long Walk, the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s dystopian horror novel, directed by Francis Lawrence.
The Long Walk centers on a deadly competition where a group of young men are forced to walk down US Route 1 without ever slowing down. Fall below the minimum speed and you're executed. The winner? They get anything they want for life.
The movie stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill, and it’s set to hit theaters on September 12.
Whether or not Streep takes the plunge into Mollner’s twisted new horror tale remains to be seen, but just the idea of it is enough to get genre fans dreaming. Here’s hoping she says yes.