The new film is set 20 years after Mary Poppins first visited 17 Cherry Tree Lane, where Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) now resides with his three children, and visited by his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer). There are more unwelcome trips to the bank, this time with Mr Wilkins, an unpleasant bank clerk played by Colin Firth.
The first trailer for Mary Poppins is HERE. And we have goosebumps. Emily Blunt stars as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, the all-new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film Mary Poppins, and she is really bringing all that original magic back!
“I needed to try to pay homage to Julie Andrews but carve out a new space for myself. And we were very loyal to the books,” Blunt told the Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, where she joined director Rob Marshall in premiering footage from the film.
Meryl Streep plays Mary Poppins’ colourful cousin Topsy, with Angela Lansbury playing a character only referred to as “a kindly balloon lady”, while original Mary Poppins star Dick van Dyke was shown dancing on tables as the banking head Dawes – although presumably playing the son of the elderly Dawes he played in the first film, who “died laughing” at the end.
Disney have announced more *new* live-action remakes
Fans at D23 were treated to a sneak preview of footage from the film, along with a taste of the music, conducted by composer Marc Shaiman.
There were plenty of familiar moments with a new twist: Lin Manuel Miranda’s lamp lighter, jack, goes flying a kite and then reels in Mary Poppins; there will be an animated sequence (with what looked like a carousel just like in the first film); the children flew up to the ceilings; there was dancing with chimney sweeps on the rooftops, and Mary Poppins pulled an extremely long feather duster out of the bathroom sink.
And here’s a peek at Blunt’s take on Poppins before Disney releases the D23 reel.
However, Blunt and director Rob Marshall were both keen to impress that the film is something new and separate from the first film, while keeping its memory very much alive: the table in the Banks’ hallway is the same table used in Mary Poppins!
“This is a brand new original film musical from top to bottom, which is very rare, and it is a wonderful opportunity to create something specifically for the screen,” said Marshall.
The film’s new Banks children are played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson.
The beloved first movie, which starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, grossed over $100 million at the box office and scored five Oscars, so the 2018 offering is sure to create some serious hype.
The new adaptation will be set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books.
After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack, uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.
Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colourful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy.
Watch Emily Blunt talk about the role of Mary Poppins when GLAMOUR interviewed her during the Girl On The Train press trail…
Mary Poppins Returns will be released in the UK in December 2018.
