Disney can’t be stopped. On top of all their live-action reboots (from Beauty and the Beast to The Jungle Book and Mulan), they now have another classic they’re tackling: Mary Poppins.
No, it’s not a reboot, but a sequel, and I honestly can’t decide which is weirder.
The news comes courtesy of Variety, who say that “Disney is developing a new ‘Mary Poppins’ musical with Rob Marshall set to direct.”
Rob Marshall directed the recent live-action Disney adaptation of the popular musical Into the Woods. The producers of that film, John DeLuca and Marc Platt, will also produce Mary Poppins (or whatever the sequel ends up being called).
So how do you do a sequel for a film that had a pretty perfect ending?
According to insiders, the film “will take place in London 20 years after the first film and will take storylines from the P.L. Travers’ children books focusing on the magical nanny’s continued adventures with the Banks family.”
I just find it hard to wrap my head around 20-something year old Jane and Michael in 1930 having more adventures with their magical childhood nanny. Is it going to be about the increasing political tensions of Europe? The effort for London to modernize? Was Mr. Banks involved with World War I? Is Mrs. Banks partying from finally getting the vote in 1928?
And I haven’t even mentioned the poor people who are somehow going to have to replace Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke as Mary Poppins and Bert! (Although maybe we’ll get more flirting – hey, even as a kid I got those hints loud and clear.)
You can see why I’m struggling so much here, despite the fact that Travers did publish multiple books.
The original film was a massive success, earning five Oscars, including Best Actress for Andrews. I guess we’ll see if Disney can accomplish it again.
Are you looking forward to a Mary Poppins sequel? Who do you hope play Mary Poppins, Bert, Michael, and Jane? Share your thoughts in the comments!
