Greta Gerwig ‘Little Women’ Adaptation Eyeing Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan and More
After Lady Bird, our imaginary BFF Greta Gerwig probably has her pick of just about any project she wants — as she damn well should. But it looks like the filmmaker behind last year’s awards season fave is sticking to the coming-of-age genre (for now), with a new take on Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women. If that match made in heaven isn’t enough for you, try this: Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh are all circling parts in what is now officially my favorite movie of whatever year it’s released.
Per Variety, Gerwig is “eyeing” Little Women as the follow-up to her Oscar-nominated solo directorial debut. Alcott’s original novel is an enduring American classic that follows the March sisters — Amy, Jo, Beth, and Meg — in a Civil War-era coming-of-age story. Meryl Streep is in talks to play March matriarch Marmee, while Emma Stone is looking to play Meg and Lady Macbeth’s Florence Pugh has her sights on Amy.
Little Women could also be a Lady Bird reunion, as both Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet are also in talks to star, with the latter playing Laurie Laurence — friggin’ obviously. Just look at that kid. He’s a huge Laurie if I ever saw one. The report doesn’t clarify who Ronan might be playing, and while I’d assume it’s Beth, Variety says that the studio will be testing actors for that role opposite Emma Stone. It’s possible that Ronan could play the older Beth, as the story unfolds over the course of several years.
Little Women has been adapted for film, television and stage dozens of times since the early 20th century, though the version most people probably remember best is the 1994 movie starring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes and Kirsten Dunst. The latest adaptation was originally meant to hit theaters this year to mark the novel’s 150th anniversary.