Meryl As Maggie! First Official Image From The New THATCHER Biopic.

Photo: Alex Bailey

This is the first official image of Meryl Streep as Baroness Margaret Thatcher, from a biopic on the former Prime Minister – titled ‘The Iron Lady‘.

The Oscar-winning actress is excited about the challenge of playing Britain’s first female prime minister.

She says:

“The prospect of exploring the swathe cut through history by this remarkable woman is a daunting and exciting challenge.

“I am trying to approach the role with as much zeal, fervour and attention to detail as the real Lady Thatcher possesses – I can only hope my stamina will begin to approach her own!”

Streep has reunited with ‘Mamma Mia!‘ helmer Phyllida Lloyd on this project, which started shooting last month.

The film focusses on Baroness Thatcher in the days leading up to the Falklands war in 1982, and Jim Broadbent plays her devoted husband Denis Thatcher while Richard E Grant has been cast as Michael Heseltine and Roger Allam stars as Gordon Reece.

Olivia Coleman is playing Thatcher‘s daughter Carol with Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howe, Michael Pennington as Labour leader Michael Foot and Julian Wadham as Francis Pym.

Alexandra Roach and Harry Lloyd star as Margaret and Denis in their early years.

However, even with a stellar cast this project didn’t quite go ahead with the blessing of the Thatcher family, because the screenplay depicts Baroness Thatcher as an elderly dementia-sufferer looking back on her career with sadness. She is shown talking to herself and unaware that her husband has died.

A friend of the family told The Telegraph in July 2010:

“Sir Mark and Carol are appalled at what they have learnt about the film

“They think it sounds like some Left-wing fantasy. They feel strongly about it, but will not speak publicly for fear of giving it more publicity.”

Cameron McCracken, managing director of Pathé, responded to the comments by saying:

“It is true that the film is set in the recent past and that Baroness Thatcher does look back on both the triumphs and the lows of her extraordinary career.

“It is a film about power and the price that is paid for power. In that sense, it is the story of every person who has ever had to balance their private life with their public career.”

‘The Iron Lady‘ is expected to hit cinemas either later this year, or early next year.