Meryl Streep has called out Marvel Studios-style filmmaking, saying it has drained modern movies of any real complexity. The legendary actor sat down with Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt to talk about The Devil Wears Prada 2, and the conversation quickly went beyond fashion and sequels. Her thoughts on modern filmmaking turned out to be as sharp as Miranda Priestly herself.

Meryl Streep believes modern cinema has lost its taste for complex characters. Speaking on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show alongside her co-stars, she argued that films today lean too heavily on predictable, black-and-white storytelling. She pointed to the superhero genre as the biggest driver of this shift.

"I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains and we got the good guys, and it's so boring," Streep said during the interview.

"What's really interesting about life is that some of the heroes are flawed and some of the villains are human and interesting and have their own strengths, so that's what I like about this [film]. It's messier," she added. For Streep, the most compelling stories are the ones that refuse to fit neatly into a box.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 reflects that very philosophy, and Miranda Priestly has always been the perfect example of it. The character sits firmly in that grey area between villain and antihero, making her one of cinema's most fascinating figures. Streep returned to the role after nearly two decades, though only after the studio doubled her original salary from the 2006 film, a negotiation lesson she wished she had learned far sooner.

As Streep pushes for more complex storytelling on screen, her own upcoming projects seem to be following that same ambition.

Meryl Streep lines up her next big projects after The Devil Wears Prada 2

Beyond The Devil Wears Prada 2, Meryl Streep has a packed slate ahead. The most confirmed project is a Joni Mitchell biopic directed by Cameron Crowe, where she is set to play the older version of the iconic singer-songwriter, a casting officially confirmed in early 2026 by music executive Clive Davis. She may also return to Only M****** in the Building as Loretta Durkin in Season 6, expected in summer 2026. Her possible involvement in Greta Gerwig's Narnia adaptation remains unconfirmed.

While these projects build anticipation, the film she is currently in is already breaking ground at the box office. The Devil Wears Prada 2 pulled in around 10 million dollars in Thursday previews alone, with global early totals reaching approximately 50.5 million dollars. Analysts project a domestic opening weekend of 75 to 85 million dollars across roughly 4,150 theaters, a massive leap from the original film's 27.5 million dollar debut in 2006. It seems audiences agree that messier, as Streep put it, is far more interesting.

What are your thoughts on Meryl Streep calling out Marvel Studios-style filmmaking? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Shraddha Priyadarshi

Edited by

Itti Mahajan