Disney Planning Reboot of Mary Poppins

[Main Pop Girl]

 

One of the world’s most cherished characters is about to take flight once more. 

EW has learned that Disney is developing a new original live-action musical film featuring the beloved magical nanny, Mary Poppins. The studio is bringing back Into the Woods director Rob Marshall and producers John DeLuca and Marc Platt, who successfully shepherded Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway tuner to the big screen for Disney last year. 

The new Poppins film will take place in Depression-era London, some 20 years after Disney’s classic Mary Poppins, and will draw from existing Poppins tales in the rest of author P.L. Travers’ 1934-1988 children’s book series. The practically perfect 1964 screen adaptation starring Julie Andrews pulled its story primarily from the first installment in Travers’ eight-book series; the new project (which is decidedly not being developed as a sequel) will explore Mary’s further adventures with the Banks family and beyond as illustrated by Travers’ seven additional novels. 

With Marshall helming, songwriting duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Smash) are on board to compose original songs and a new score; David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi) is attached to write the screenplay. 

Disney and Marshall are collaborating with the Travers estate and have already earned support from Poppins’ co-composer Richard Sherman, who penned the original film’s famous songs like “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with his late brother, Robert. 

Marshall, DeLuca, and Platt remain some of Hollywood’s most active musical players. Marshall’s 2002 Oscar-winning Best Picture, Chicago, is largely credited with ushering in a modern resurgence of the genre; he and DeLuca also collaborated on 2009’s Nine before taking on Into the Woods in 2014. Platt is presently producing Fox’s Grease: Live and another original musical, La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. As a key producer of Broadway’s Wicked, he has also long been involved in developing a feature film adaptation of the show. 

The world of Mary Poppins was most recently revived onscreen with 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks, which told the story of Travers’ meetings with Walt Disney in the early ’60s as he persuaded her to put Poppins to film.

Tbh, I'm totally okay with all these reboots they're making.  My outlook is that if it's successful it's another fun addition to the franchise, but if it's dreadful it hasn't really done anything to affect the original. We'll see how it goes! 

[--Out of Business--]

Oh Jesus, why? P.L. Travers (original author) openly hated the original film adaptation and wouldn't let them make a sequel, now that she's croaked they're going to shit on that?

[Cypher]

Isn't Anne Hathaway being considered for the iconic role?

[Charlie91xo]

i'm with you completely on this one.

I hate when people say "they're ruining the original".  the original still stands as it is so if the new ones horrible, no big deal.

I'm interested to see what they do with this one. I was talking with my friend the other day and I said Anne Hathaway would be pretty good in the role.

 

[Main Pop Girl]

Oh Jesus, why? P.L. Travers (original author) openly hated the original film adaptation and wouldn't let them make a sequel, now that she's croaked they're going to shit on that?

But Travers didn't even want the original movie to be made, and hated 'Supercalafragilistic', so clearly the old dear's judgement was completely impaired by that point and nothing she said should be taken seriously.

i'm with you completely on this one.

I hate when people say "they're ruining the original".  the original still stands as it is so if the new ones horrible, no big deal.

I'm interested to see what they do with this one. I was talking with my friend the other day and I said Anne Hathaway would be pretty good in the role.

I completely agree! The original has always been, and will always remain, iconic, and is strong enough to stand on its own two feet without fear of being tarnished by anything that comes after it.

Anne could do a great job, but I'm not sure she'd even work with Disney again after she thinks they mistreated her on The Princess Diaries. Plus, I feel like the pressure on her would be too great for such a big role! I'd prefer they went with a relative unknown like they did with the main character in Cinderella.

[Impesta]

I saw a poster before this was announced that showed Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp as the stars and done by Burton and I nearly died. I hope this happens, especially since his Maleficent never did. Although his Alice was a let down. Anne would do a great job.

[Main Pop Girl]

I saw a poster before this was announced that showed Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp as the stars and done by Burton and I nearly died. I hope this happens, especially since his Maleficent never did. Although his Alice was a let down. Anne would do a great job.

Ugh, to be honest I'm so over the Johnny + Tim combo. They really peeked with Sweeney Todd and everything since then has just been a disappointment. Plus, I don't want Mary herself to be sidelined to a supporting character and Bert to become the star of the show like what happened in Alice in Wonderland. That said, an Anne and Tim collab could be good, but only if Johnny wasn't attached to the movie.

[Impesta]

I saw a poster before this was announced that showed Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp as the stars and done by Burton and I nearly died. I hope this happens, especially since his Maleficent never did. Although his Alice was a let down. Anne would do a great job.

Ugh, to be honest I'm so over the Johnny + Tim combo. They really peeked with Sweeney Todd and everything since then has just been a disappointment. Plus, I don't want Mary herself to be sidelined to a supporting character and Bert to become the star of the show like what happened in Alice in Wonderland. That said, an Anne and Tim collab could be good, but only if Johnny wasn't attached to the movie.

I did love Anne in Alice, she was perfect. I do agree that the amazing combination that Tim and Johnny once were has been gone for a long time now sadly. Oh well.

[Main Pop Girl]

I saw a poster before this was announced that showed Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp as the stars and done by Burton and I nearly died. I hope this happens, especially since his Maleficent never did. Although his Alice was a let down. Anne would do a great job.

Ugh, to be honest I'm so over the Johnny + Tim combo. They really peeked with Sweeney Todd and everything since then has just been a disappointment. Plus, I don't want Mary herself to be sidelined to a supporting character and Bert to become the star of the show like what happened in Alice in Wonderland. That said, an Anne and Tim collab could be good, but only if Johnny wasn't attached to the movie.

I did love Anne in Alice, she was perfect. I do agree that the amazing combination that Tim and Johnny once were has been gone for a long time now sadly. Oh well.

Agreed! Anne and Helena are literally the only reasons I'm looking forward to the sequel at this point.