Disney has been a roll lately with live-action reboots of many of their animated classics, but they’re now turning their attention to a movie which will serve as a sequel to Mary Poppins.
Variety reveals that Into the Woods helmer Rob Marshall is set to direct the musical, while the producers of that movie – John DeLuca and Marc Platt – will be joining him. Specific plot details have yet to be revealed, though the trade confirms that this Mary Poppins sequel will take place in London two decades after the original and is set to borrow storylines from the P.L. Travers books which continued to tell the magical nanny’s adventures with the Banks’.
Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke starred in the 1964 original which grossed a massive $100 million at the time and landed an impressive five Oscars. It’s easy to understand why Disney might want to try and recapture that success with modern moviegoers, and this might just end up being the first in a number of sequels and prequels to Disney’s live-action catalogue.
Mary Poppins is certainly an interesting property to revisit, though whether the story will be able to connect with today’s youngsters is hard to say at this point. Still, with Marshall at the helm, the sequel is in good hands, and it will be interesting to see how the cast shapes up!
