Forty-one years after Mary Poppins hit theaters, we may go back to the world of the English nanny extraordinaire.
Disney is planning to bring Mary Poppins into the 21st century with a reboot. The focus of the story will be based on the eight books by author P.L. Travers. In the 1964 film, Julie Andrews starred as the magical nanny who comes to work for a cold banker’s unhappy and works her magic. The new installment is slated to take place 20 years after the original. The original film has since become a celebrated family classic and remains (thus far) the only live action Disney film to ever receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination- Andrews won the award for her performance.
Andrews went on to star in another classic musical just one year after Mary Poppins in The Sound of Music. Most recently she’s lent her voice to some animated films (Despicable Me, Shrek series) and starred alongside Anne Hathaway in Disney’s The Princess Diaries and its sequel. Into the Woods director Rob Marshall has been tapped to direct the reboot. Marshall also has box office smash Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Best Picture-winner Chicago in his directing resume. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who worked on the 2007 remake of Hairspray, will work on the original songs while Disney is said to be eyeing David Magee (Life of Pi) for the screenplay.
The development of the project is still in its early stages so no actors have been cast as of yet. No production or release dates have been announced. We will stay tuned for the latest. Disney, of course, has been mining its treasure trove of classic properties for updates (Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, the upcoming Beauty and the Beast), so this is certainly in keeping with trend. Curiously, the life of author Travers and woes involved in getting the first Mary Poppins to screen were staged recently with the Disney feature Saving Mr. Banks starring Oscar winners Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.
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