In the upcoming film Mary Poppins Returns, Jane and Michael Banks will be meeting their old nanny 25 years later. Emily Mortimer has just signed on to play Jane, and she will probably have some hard questions for Ms. Poppins. For instance, “Why did you leave us?”
The new Poppins will be played by Emily Blunt, which is a lot of English Emilys to keep track of in one movie. Varietyreports that the new script is based on The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers, in which Mary makes a real habit of poppin’ in and out of these neglected children’s lives. Meryl Streep is also on board as a Poppins cousin, perhaps sent to smooth the reunion?
It’s unlikely that Mary Poppins Returns will be a gritty reboot, confronting the grim realities of being raised by a strange woman who talks to umbrellas while your banker dad ruthlessly climbs to the top. But it will definitely feature new music, and a turn by Lin-Manuel Miranda as a lamp-lighter named Jack. Hope they hook up.
