Cameron Crowe hasn’t directed a film in over ten years (“Aloha”). That will likely change in the coming months, as he is set to direct a biopic of singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, which is planning to shoot later this year. He’s also found the actress who will play Mitchell during the later part of the singer’s career…
None other than Meryl Streep has joined the cast of Crowe’s Joni biopic — Streep hasn’t appeared in a film since 2021’s “Don’t Look Up,” and that was very much a supporting role. She’s mostly been doing television via Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” She also has “The Devil Wears Prada 2” coming out in the summer.
Streep’s casting was confirmed by Clive Davis during the record exec’s pre-Grammy bash Saturday in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, Davis introduced some of the A-listers in attendance and mentioned Mitchell, who he said would be portrayed by Streep in Crowe’s biopic (via Rolling Stone).
When reached for comment by the magazine, Crowe referred Rolling Stone to Davis’ announcement, which basically re-confirms Streep’s casting. It should also be noted that The InSneider recently reported that Anya Taylor-Joy would play the younger Mitchell, and that still hasn’t been reported by the trades.
Crowe’s biopic is a deeply personal project for him, a former Rolling Stone journalist in the ‘70s, who famously interviewed Mitchell in 1979 and has remained close friends with the singer over the decades since, quite literally becoming her assistant in recent years. They’ve been working on the script together for the better part of three years — it’s been described as “not a traditional biopic.”
In the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s, Crowe was a highly successful writer-director with films such as “Say Anything,” “Singles,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Almost Famous,” and “Vanilla Sky.” Then he struck out with 2005’s “Elizabethtown,” 2011’s “We Bought a Zoo,” and 2015’s “Aloha.”
That losing streak was more than enough to have him take a break from Hollywood — or was it the other way around? If you remember, for many years, Crowe had been trying to develop a biopic about Marvin Gaye, though it eventually fell apart due to casting and budget issues.
No matter, Crowe is about to direct his first film in over 11 years, and it might also be one of his most personal projects yet.
Having an insurance director is not uncommon in Hollywood. Aging filmmakers, in case a health issue arises, sometimes need to have one. It seems like that’s what might have occurred on “What Happens at Night.”