Meryl Streep to return for The Devil Wears Prada sequel: From Mamma Mia to Julie & Julia, her top female-led films

The Devil Wears Prada released way back in 2006 and with each passing year has only further cemented its cult status. Everybody doesn’t prance around their workplace in Jimmy Choo stilettos, Dolce sheath dresses and a bright orange designer poncho (the girls that get it, get it!). But the magical world of Runway with Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway’s Andrea Sachs and Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton takes you in the second you hit play. A Puck report has confirmed that the film is up for a definite sequel with Meryl and Emily set to reprise their roles. Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!, The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia This is a good time to remember that Streep was championing female-led films, dubbed as ‘chick flicks’ long before it was in-vogue. Here’s revisiting some of her genre-defining hits. The Devil Wears PradaThe Devil Wears Prada (2006) is Hollywood’s luxury-clad love letter to girls the world over. You don’t really need to have your nose buried in fashion magazines to relate to the beautiful chaos this film entails (Andy certainly didn’t). Even if fashion ‘isn’t your thing’, this David Frankel film has something for every corporate girlie trying to make it big in this world. There’s Miranda’s magnetism, Emily’s passion and Andy’s clarity, to pump you full of inspiration. And if that’s not what you’re really looking for at the moment, there’s always the clothes and shoes and makeovers to drool over. Mamma Mia!If musicals aren’t already fun enough, Mamma Mia! (2008) has Meryl and Amanda Seyfried’s beautiful maternal chemry to keep you emotionally engaged. While the true intention amid all the song and dance is for Amanda’s Sophie to determine which of her mother Donna’s (played Meryl) former lovers is her biological father, the film actually ends on a rather telling note. Not only does this film highlight the pure essence of a mother-daughter bond but also plays on the fact that you don’t really need to be related blood to mean something to someone. There is also no dearth of eye candy what with names like Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth part of the star cast. If you can’t get enough of the film, a second part the name of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was also released in 2018. Julie & Julia Meryl stars along side Amy Adams in 2009 biographical comedy-drama, Julie & Julia. While Meryl essays the role of 1950s culinary extraordinaire Julia Child, Amy takes on the role of the meek girl-next-door Julie Powell in 2002. The film alternates between these two time periods where both women attempt to find themselves via an endless stream of kitchen experiments. While Julia achieves this penning her cornerstone cookbook, Julie takes the legacy forward attempting to add meaning to her humdrum life spending each day whipping up one of the 524 recipes preserved in that very cookbook. Devil Wears Prada’s Stanley Tucci also features in this film, albeit as husband to Meryl’s Julia, a delightful dynamic to watch. This film is further made interesting the fact that both storylines shown in the film are inspired from the very real experiences of Julia Child and Julie Powell. This one’s a must-watch. She-DevilMeryl has rightly developed a reputation for being a ‘serious actor’, given the string of hard-hitting dramas she has led across her decorated career, especially in her early years. That being said, she still did dabble with light-hearted screenplays every now and then. One such underrated film is She-Devil (1989). While Meryl plays an unapologetic homewrecker in the film, Roseanne Barr drives most of the story, as a wife and mother scorned who vows to destroy her husband and his mress’ life — with her own troop of women. Definitely watch this if you think you’re a girl’s girl! Postcards from the EdgeMike Nichols’ Postcards from the Edge (1990) may not exactly be light-hearted, but the plot and performances truly champion the essence of redemption. The film, led Meryl starring as (fictional) actor Suzanne Vale, cannot really be quantified as a thorough drama for it has its moments of dark comedy. But the message it relays is that you can in fact get your life back together, even if it feels like everything is unravelling — a reminder we all need from time to time. What is your favourite Meryl Streep film?