Director Rob Marshall is reportedly at work developing a sequel to the hit film Mary Poppins Returns. Released in 1964, the original Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews as the titular magical nanny, has enchanted multiple generations with its mixture of music and whimsy. Emily Blunt took over the role originated by Andrews for 2018's Mary Poppins Returns, which sees the kids from the first movie now grown up and living in Depression-era London.
Despite the 54-year gap between the original Mary Poppins and the sequel, the magic of the character and story have clearly not faded for audiences, as evidenced by the $260 million worldwide haul so far for Mary Poppins Returns. Talk of a sequel has naturally begun, with Emily Blunt herself saying she would be game to return for another go-around as the magical nanny who fixes everyone's problems. Thus far however, Disney has made no official announcement about plans to revisit the character.
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Though Disney has not yet made anything official, director Rob Marshal recently revealed that he is indeed at work on a follow-up to Mary Poppins Returns. Speaking at this week's BAFTA tea party event (via The Sun), Marshall said the production team is moving forward with plans for another film, which would again delve into the books of Mary Poppins creator P.L. Travers. As Marshall pointed out, Travers wrote eight Poppins books, so there's plenty of material there to mine. Mary Poppins Returns was itself not a direct adaptation of any one of the eight books, but instead drew on several of Travers' works in order to craft a story.
In a statement that should be music to the ears of Mary Poppins fans, Marshall then took things a step further and said he could envision the character living on beyond one more sequel. As Marshall said, "Listen, how many Star Wars films have there been, you know what I mean? Or James Bond films. If there’s a great character and story to tell, why not?”
It could just be wishful thinking on the part of Rob Marshall to believe Mary Poppins might live on for film after film in the manner of James Bond (who thus far has appeared in 24 official movies with a 25th currently in development). Then again, it's clear from Mary Poppins Returns that audiences love the character, so perhaps the door is open for an entire on-going Poppins series. Emily Blunt has been mentioned as someone who could take on the history-making task of playing the first female James Bond, but if that never happens, perhaps Mary Poppins could become her 007.
More: Mary Poppins Returns: New Cast & Original Characters Comparison Guide
Source: The Sun