The ensemble cast for Disney’s upcoming Mary Poppins sequel/reboot just keeps getting starrier. Emily Blunt is already aboard to star as the magical nanny, taking over duties from Julie Andrews (who won an Oscar for the 1964 classic), as is Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep. Today comes word, per Variety, that Oscar winner Colin Firth is in the talks to join the film.
Mary Poppins Returns, to be directed by Rob Marshall (Into the Woods) from a screenplay by David Magee (Finding Neverland), is a new musical adventure based on the stories by P.L. Travers, whose whom experiences about getting the original film made over at Disney was chronicled in 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks. Mary Poppins Returns will also feature brand new songs written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Set 25-years after the events of the first film, we find the grown-up Banks children (Mortimer, Whishaw) again getting a visit from their favorite childhood nanny. Miranda will portray Jack, a street lamplighter and friend of Mary Poppins while Streep will play her cousin. If talks come to fruition, it appears that Firth will portray William Weatherall Wilkins, the president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.
In the past year, Firth has appeared in the period bio Genius as well as the sequel Bridget Jones’s Baby. He will next be seen on screens in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, reprising his role of Harry Hart. The actor earned an Academy Award for his lead performance in the 2010 blockbuster The King’s Speech.
Mary Poppins Returns is slated to hit theaters on December 25, 2018.
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