Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank to Join Tommy Lee Jones in ‘The Homesman’?
It would appear as though the 2013 awards season already has a major player in 'The Homesman,' and the picture hasn't even begun shooting yet. The film, set to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Jones (who also plans to star), is an American frontier drama with a handful of meaty roles. Today, we may know who will occupy a couple of those meaty roles: Oscar-winners Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank. (Jones won an Oscar too, so we're talking lots of potential "Academy Award Winner..." titles on 'The Homesman's' poster.)
The Wrap claims a source close to the project has indicated the names of both leading ladies have been included in a package being presented to buyers in advance of the American Film Market (which kicks off in about a month). The project was announced back in May, with Jones' Javelina Film Company producing. This will be the man's fourth stint in the director's chair, following the 1995 TNT telepic 'The Good Old Boys', 2005's 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' and last year's HBO original movie 'The Sunset Limited.'
'The Homesman' will see Jones playing a "claim-jumping rascal of a man who ushers three insane women on an odyssey from Nebraska to Iowa, braving the elements along the way." He is joined on the journey by a frontier woman, whom Swank will play if she indeed signs on.
It's unclear what character Streep would take on, but perhaps it's safe to assume she'll be one of the insane women being transported. Ms. Streep and Mr. Jones appeared together on screen this past summer in the dramedy 'Hope Springs.'