Update: Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce

We had early word of this a few months ago from our esteemed reader, richard crawford, so I posted a piece about the rumored Mildred Piece project on May 13th. It now appears that we were climbing out on a sturdy limb. Variety reports today:

Kate Winslet is attached to “Mildred Pierce,” a miniseries adaptation based on the James M. Cain novel that Todd Haynes is writing and directing. Sources said that HBO is the lead contender to get the mini, but payweb sources said no deal has been struck.

The involvement of Winslet–right after her Oscar-winning performance in “The Reader” and her work in “Revolutionary Road”–underscores how much paywebs like HBO have become prestige venues for films that might vanish as theatrical releases, a fact underscored by the success of “Grey Gardens,” which garnered Emmy noms for Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

It seems now not so much a question of whether or not this is happening, but merely a matter of who’s going to pick up the tab — and reap the awards. Firstly, it’s a smart move for HBO to secure this project. It’s bound to be amazing. And secondly, it would be smart for us to lend a keen ear to any future tips from richard crawford.