It's always a tall order when you are tasked with following up a classic film such as MARY POPPINS, let alone over fifty years later, but that's exactly what Rob Marshall (INTO THE WOODS) is aiming to do with MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the upcoming sequel takes place 25 years after the original in Depression-era London and follows "a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, who, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives." Most projects of this type tend to toss in an appearance or two by some original cast-members, and it looks like Dick Van Dyke (who played Bert as well as Mr. Dawes Sr. in the original) will be turning up in the sequel.
Although mentioning that he's somewhat choosy with his roles, Dick Van Dyke confirmed that he'd be joining MARY POPPINS RETURNS in a recent interview with THR.
This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up. It's a great cast — Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] from Hamilton.
There's no word on whether Dick Van Dyke will be reprising one of his previous MARY POPPINS roles or merely popping in for a cameo, but the actor will be joining Emily Mortimer as Jane, Ben Whishaw as Michael, Lin-Manuel Miranda as a street lamplighter named Jack, Meryl Streep as Topsy, Mary Poppins' cousin and Colin Firth as William Weatherall Wilkins, president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.
MARY POPPINS RETURNS is set for a December 25, 2018 release.