While the world patiently awaits Meryl Streep‘s return to the big screen as Miranda Priestly, ahead of her tentpole 2026 release, the legendary actor has already starred in two of the biggest projects of the year (as of March 22). For the unversed, Streep voiced the Insect Queen in Pixar’s Hoppers, which delivered the best opening for an original Pixar release since Coco.
Interestingly, she’s also featured in one of the revered 2026 releases so far, Project Hail Mary, which has surpassed the previous Andy Weir adaptation’s opening-weekend gross. Although the friendship between Ryan Gosling‘s Ryland and his intergalactic pal Rocky is the heart of the movie, the sci-fi outing also features a brief voice gig from Streep, which is easy to overlook.
MovieHoppersProject Hail MaryIMDb (as of March 22)7.68.5Tomatometer | Popcornmeter93% | 94%95% | 96%Directed ByDaniel ChongPhil Lord, Christopher MillerBox Office (as of March 22)$242.2 million$140.9 million
Who Does Meryl Streep Voice in Project Hail Mary?
Even though the character of Rocky is voiced and puppeteered by James Ortiz, Streep’s voice appears briefly as Ryland attempts to find a computerized voice for the alien.
According to Andy Weir, it was none other than the original Devil Wears Prada star who pretended to be a computer that is pretending to be Meryl Streep. Reflecting on how her cameo came to fruition, Weir, who opposed using AI to replicate Streep’s voice, recalled that Streep readily agreed to lend her voice after they reached out to the actor (via Forbes).
Meryl Streep, she can do anything.” And then we’re like, “Well, that’s pretty cool. Can we use it?” Obviously we don’t want to use an AI, Meryl Streep, even if we had her permission. We only wanted to use the real Meryl Streep, so they asked her, “Can you record one line for us?” And she’s like, “Sure!” I love how it ended up being Meryl Streep pretending to be a computer that is pretending to be Meryl Streep.
With the sci-fi now registering the highest box-office opening of the year (so far) with a domestic gross of $80.5 million (via Variety), it’s safe to say the movie might match or even fly past The Martian‘s lifetime gross of $630 million (via Box Office Mojo).
2026 is Shaping Out to Be Huge For Meryl Streep
A still from The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Credit: 20th Century Studios
After a few brief glimpses of the icon in two major 2026 outings already, fans will finally witness Streep in all her glory in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is shaping up to be another major contender to dominate the first half of 2026.
Even though it’s too early to predict anything concrete, BOT is currently tracking an opening of $55 million for the long-awaited reunion between Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Streep. However, it’s important to note that initial projections for the Ryan Gosling-led movie also heavily lowballed its opening numbers, which it ultimately exceeded.
Although word of mouth will play a crucial role, given the cult classic’s fandom and the stature of these leads, it’s safe to say the sequel will surpass expectations and deliver another win for Streep in 2026.
Share your thoughts on Streep’s cameo below!
Project Hail Mary is currently running in theaters.
Hoppers is currently running in theaters.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in theaters on May 1, 2026.
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