'Mary Poppins 2' Cast Update: 'Hamilton's' Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt in Talks to Star in Sequel
The American musical fantasy film "Mary Poppins" is getting a sequel, and though no one actually expected it, Disney is moving forward with it. In fact, there are reports already of who may be part of the cast to once again bring back the magic of the 1964 classic film that starred Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber.
According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, British actress Emily Blunt is in negotiations for the role of magical nanny Mary Poppins, who Andrews portrayed in the first film. Blunt was part of Disney's most recent live-action musical "Into the Woods" in 2014, and if she will be confirmed to play the main character of the sequel, she will be re-working alongside director Rob Marshall ("Into the Woods," "Chicago") who is in charge of the follow-up.
It is revealed that the part 2 of the film will be set 20 years after the original in Depression-era London. The movie will also borrow from previously non-adapted books about Poppins by PL Travers who is the creator of the character.
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Aside from Blunt, Variety reported that "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is also in talks to star in the sequel as Jack, a lamplighter that will resemble the character of Bert, which was played by Dick Van Dyke in the original. Miranda is no stranger to Disney as the composer-actor has strong ties with the entertainment conglomerate.
He helped compose original music for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and has been contributing to Disney's upcoming animated film "Moana." If Miranda is confirmed to be part of "Mary Poppins 2," it's highly expected that he will be writing a song as well for the film.
During an interview with Vulture, Marshall revealed that the sequel isn't going to be a new film. "It is not a new Mary Poppins," said Marshall. "PL Travers wrote eight books altogether. They worked from the first book, and we are working from the other books, not touching the iconic brilliance of Mary Poppins," he added.
There is no word yet on when "Mary Poppins 2" will come out, but fans can stay tuned to find out more updates.
