INTO THE WOODS Film To Start Shooting In October?

According to a new interview with China News in promotion of her Oscar-winning work in THE IRON LADY, Meryl Streep confirms that the feature film adaptation of the multi-Tony Award-winning musical INTO THE WOODS is set to start shooting this October.

Streep tells the newspaper that following the wrap of shooting the stage-to-screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tracy Letts drama AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY she will then film the Tommy Lee Jones-directed THE HOMESMAN.

Following finishing those two films, in October, she steps in front of cameras in the central featured role of The Witch in CHICAGO director Rob Marshall's highly-anticipated new feature film version of the beloved adult fairy tale-themed musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.

The role of The Witch in INTO THE WOODS affords Streep with rich comedy and drama scenes, as well as some of Sondheim's most unique and well-regarded modern musical material - a full-out rap song about beans and a tearjerking paean to the innocence of youth included.

Yet, with a star as big as Streep in the role, would Sondheim consider penning yet another new tune for the score? After all, he has already written new songs for a film version of the property, including the absolutely beautiful "Rainbows", a duet for the Baker and his wife, a song that Sondheim and I discussed in one of our conversations (available here) in addition to touching upon many other aspects of INTO THE WOODS both onstage and, potentially, onscreen.

It should be noted that Streep deigned to give the purportedly quite lengthy interview to the foreign newspaper via telephone in support of the long-delayed release of THE IRON LADY in Beijing earlier this month.

No official confirmation on Streep's casting nor the actual start shoot date have been verified at this time.

Check out the original story on the matter, very roughly translated, here.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride