Emily Blunt reveals she was absolutely terrified at the proposition of playing the marvelously magical nanny in Mary Poppins Returns, admitting the idea of filling Julie Andrews' shoes was utterly intimidating to her. The film follows up on Robert Steven's 1964 classic film, Mary Poppins, itself loosely based on P.L. Travers' novel series. Blunt stars in Mary Poppins Returns alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda (Jack), Meryl Streep (Topsy-Turvy Poppins), Ben Whishaw (Michael Banks), and Emily Mortimer (Jane Banks).
Dick Van Dyke will be returning to the franchise, still up to his wild chimney-sweeping ways - but as Mr. Dawes Jr., not Sr. Meanwhile, Andrews graciously declined an invitation to make a cameo in the film, opting instead to just let Blunt do her thing. Currently set for a Christmas Day release, the film takes place 25 years after the first film and follows the titular nanny as she triumphantly returns to London during to shake some sense into the Banks children, now adults and in the middle of a serious financial struggle. The first Mary Poppins Return trailer released only a few weeks ago and has already drummed up some serious anticipation, which is both exciting and terrifying for the cast.
Related: Why Julie Andrews Will Not Appear in Mary Poppins Returns
In an interview with Daily Mail, Emily Blunt described the swirl of emotions she felt after being offered the titular role in Mary Poppins Returns:
"When [director] Rob Marshall called me about this role he left a cryptic message, so I called him back and when he uttered the name Mary Poppins, I thought, 'Wow!' I was filled with a mixture of two emotions – I was obviously very excited, but I was also frozen with fear because, well, Mary herself is so iconic, and Julie Andrews is so iconic, too. All I could do was try to see Julie’s version as just sort of white noise and try to find my own version of Mary. And what a gift of a character she is!"
Rob Marshall directed the highly-anticipated film from a screenplay by Life of Pi scribe David Magee, who won a 2004 Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his Finding Neverland screenplay. With the Oscar-winning and nominated films Chicago and Into the Woods under his belt, Marshall is, in fact, the perfect director to helm this rare modern-day movie musical. Back in June 2017, he explained why he decided to take on a Mary Poppins sequel 54 years later; one of the longest gaps between sequels in film history. Marshall says the original novels were filled with so much delightful frivolity, he simply couldn't resist making Mary Poppins Returns: "We realized there was such a wealth of adventures that never materialized onscreen, and I thought, maybe there’s a reason to do this film."
Elewhere in the interview, Blunt warns that audiences shouldn't expect the sweet Mary Poppins that they saw in the first film. Her interpretation is going to be altogether darker: "In the books she’s quite batty! She’s eccentric and very vain and not warm and fuzzy at all." That means fans should brace themselves for a no-nonsense magical nanny in Mary Poppins Returns who means business.
More: Mary Poppins Returns Teaser Trailer Breakdown
Source: Daily Mail
