Actress Emily Blunt is undergoing negotiations to play Mary Poppins in a new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film. Directed by Rob Marshall, the untitled project takes place roughly 20 years after the events of the first movie, which had Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke playing leading roles.
The movie will be a new live-action musical set in Depression-era London, exploring the life of a now-grown Michael Banks and his big sister, Jane. As the family struggles during tough times, Mary Poppins returns to lend a hand.
The new film will also borrow ideas and references from the classic book series conceived by P.L. Travers. The first book was published in 1934 and the last in the series in 1988.
Blunt was initially rumored to star in the film when the media first learned about the project back in September 2015, but now the news about her involved has been confirmed. Marshall is also collaborating with Marc Platt and John DeLuca to assist in the production, with Scott Wittman composing original songs. Meanwhile, screenwriter David Magee is set to pen the project.
Despite the series being somewhat dormant, a Russian film adaptation came to fruition in 1983, as well as a 2004 stage play in the United Kingdom.
Rumors of a Mary Poppins film had surfaced several years prior, with false reports that director Tim Burton was working on the project in 2014. This was then followed by a hoax when an unofficial movie poster was created and leaked online.
Emily Blunt is also set to appear in Universal’s The Huntsman: The Winter’s War, alongside actor Chris Hemsworth, with an Apr. 22 theatrical release.