Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts Cast in ‘August: Osage County’

Meryl Streep (62) and Julia Roberts (44) may have a combined age of 106, but the Hollywood ageism that traditionally goes against female performers doesn’t seem to apply to this timeless pair; indeed, they remain two of the most bankable names in the profession.

There must have been a pretty penny paid to sign both up for one film, but that’s precisely what has happened. Streep and Roberts have both been cast in dark comedy August: Osage County, a new film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tracy Letts.

Meryl Streep will play the role of pill-hooked matriarch Violet Weston, while Julia Roberts will be her adult daughter, Barbara. John Wells, the man who helmed drama series Shameless, will be in the director’s chair.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein of the Weinstein Company confirmed the involvement of the two actresses on Wednesday, and the project will begin filming this fall. The mutual compliments have already begun, with Roberts saying she was lured to the project by Streep’s Oscar-nominated performance in The Iron Lady:

“After seeing Meryl Streep’s mesmerizing portrayal as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, it has me even more excited and proud to co star with her.”

A dark comedy with two of Hollywood’s biggest female leads – does this sound like your kind of thing?

[Via Deadline]