Meryl Streep Talks About Chick Flick Budget Struggles

Meryl Streep returns in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and shares how films like Barbie helped improve budgets for women led stories in Hollywood.

Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep is returning as Miranda Priestly after 20 years in The Devil Wears Prada 2. The film is being made by 20th Century Studios and is scheduled to release this summer. Before the release, Meryl Streep spoke about how films led by women were earlier treated differently in terms of budgets. She said that such films were often labelled as “chick flicks,” and this affected how much money studios were willing to spend on them.

Speaking on The Late Show, she explained how things have started to change. She credited films like Barbie and Mamma Mia for helping improve the situation. These films showed that audiences are interested in stories where women are at the centre.

She said, “20 years ago, it was categorised as a chick-flick and that designation has kind of not worn well. After Barbie and Mamma Mia, to throw that in, and other films that completely catch the studios by surprise that people want to see them. Because they have women in the centre of the story. So, they were not… We had to scramble for our budget and that was true. I think I’ve talked to Greta [Gerwig] about it, that was true with Barbie a little bit, in comparison to what they spend on other films. This one, honey, they spent the money,” Meryl Streep said on The Late Show.

The sequel brings back the original cast from the 2006 film. Along with Meryl Streep, actors Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci will return to their roles. The story will again be set in New York City and will follow the world of Runway magazine.

The film also includes new cast members such as Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J Shen and BJ Novak.

Director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna are also returning. Actors Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman will reprise their earlier roles.

The film is set to release in cinemas on 1st May 2026.

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