Earlier this week, you may have needed more than a spoonful of sugar to swallow the news that Walt Disney Pictures is developing a new ‘Mary Poppins’ movie with ‘Chicago’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ filmmaker Rob Marshall. Though not many details were revealed about the not-sequel, we did learn that the film will be set twenty years after the original in Depression-era London and that ‘Finding Neverland’ and ‘Life of Pi’ screenwriter David Magee’s script will draw from the other seven children’s books about the practically perfect Poppins and the Banks family written by P.L. Travers from 1934 to 1988. While the story may sound interesting, the bigger concern lies in the casting since one cannot simply replace the legendary Julie Andrews. So who is the Mouse House considering for the job? One name has emerged as the company’s favorite for now.
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ and ‘Looper’ star Emily Blunt is currently at the top of Disney’s shortlist of actresses to be the new Mary Poppins. The report emphasizes that no talks have commenced nor has the actress even been contacted, but the site’s sources say that Blunt is who they want for the role.
If she’s interested in the part, the actress already has an in. Blunt previously worked with Marshall as the Baker’s Wife in ‘Into The Woods,’ where the world saw (and heard) that she could handle herself in a movie musical. Another nice thing about Blunt is that this casting keeps Poppins authentically British rather than bringing in someone who has to use an accent. However, as we mentioned in our initial coverage of this news, Ashley Brown wouldn’t be a terrible choice despite not having the mainstream star power since she originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway and continued to play the character on the US national tour of the musical. But don’t take my word for it. Check out Brown singing ‘Feed The Birds’ from Disney on Broadway’s YouTube channel:
What do you think about the possibility of Emily Blunt being the next Mary Poppins? Do you think that she would be a suitable replacement for Julie Andrews? If not, who would you like to see in the starring role for the upcoming film? Sound off in the comment section.
Source: Den of Geek