In 1964, Disney released an adaptation of P. L. Travers’ Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews in the title role. Disney’s Mary Poppins was an instant classic and one of the studios’ few films untouched by cinematic sequels…until now.
Disney is planning a Mary Poppins sequel with Travers’ estate that will take place in 1930, 20 years after the events of the first film. Travers wrote eight Mary Poppins novels during her lifetime, and the new film will reportedly take its cues from the books. However, the books featured Mary revisiting the Banks children when needed. If the sequel is set two decades later then Jane and Michael Banks aren’t children anymore.
Rob Marshall is already attached to direct the Mary Poppins sequel. He most recently directed Disney’s adaptation of Into the Woods and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. David Magee (Life of Pi) is writing the script, while the score and original songs will be written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, a songwriting duo who collaborated on Hairspray and Smash.
Casting for Mary Poppins has not yet begun, but it’s going to be difficult to find anyone who can follow Andrews’ iconic performance from the first film. But we wouldn’t be too shocked if Lady Gaga was considered for the role. At the 2015 Oscars, Lady Gaga performed a musical tribute to Andrews that was highly praised by Andrews herself.
Nerdist readers, who would you cast as the new Mary Poppins? And for that matter, who’s gonna follow Dick Van Dyke as Bert? Revisit Cherry Tree Lane and share your picks in the comment section below!
—
