European film studio Pathe has released the first teaser for Meryl Streep’s next piece of Oscar bait, The Iron Lady. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who also directed la Streep in 2008′s Mama Mia, and a script by Abi Morgan, co-writer of Steve McQueen’s forthcoming Shame with Michael Fassbender, The Iron Lady tells the story of  Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Streep) and focuses on the price this strong and complex woman paid for power.

Jim Broadbent (whom most probably know as Professor Slughorn from the Harry Potter films) co-stars as Thatcher’s supportive spouse Denis Thatcher. (Harry Lloyd, late of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, plays him as a young man. I just found out he’s the great, great, great grandson of Charles Dickens. Sorry, I think that’s cool. Don’t judge.) Newcomer Alexandra Roach plays the young Maggie. The rest of the cast includes Anthony Head (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Richard E. Grant (whose list of credits is longer than my arm, including The Age of Innocence,Dracula and Gosford Park), Nicholas Farrell (“The Jury”) and a whole host of talented British character actors, because everyone in that country can act.

The Iron Lady is slated for an awards qualifying December 16, 2011 release here in the US. Movie goers in the UK will have to wait until 6 January 2012.