We already know that Disney is on this massive kick of turning their classic animated films into live-action movies. It's a genius way for them to keep mining these well-known properties for fresh box office dollars, and I wish I was the one who thought of it, because instead of writing this, I'd be laughing all the way to the bank. However, I don't know that I ever saw the moment approaching where they'd take a live-action classic of theirs and re-live-action it for modern audiences.
But that's what is happening with The Mouse announcing plans to make a new MARY POPPINS. You didn't see that one coming either, huh?
Rob Marshall will direct the new film, which will tell a story that takes place 20 years after the Julie Andrews-Dick van Dyke 1964 movie and will also be musical in nature. It'll also use ideas from the P.L. Travers series that continued all the way to 1988 when the last book was released.
David Magee, who penned LIFE WITH PI, is on board to get cracking on a script with the duo of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who did both HAIRSPRAY and NBC's SMASH, handling songwriting and scoring duties.
In the past, Travers had a chilly relationship with Walt Disney Pictures after the film they released did not really meet her vision for what a MARY POPPINS movie should be. However, it appears things may have thawed out there a bit with her estate working with Disney on whatever this new film will be.
I never thought we would need another MARY POPPINS movie, but what the hell do I know? The Mouse prints money daily, so I'll defer to them. Clearly their business model works.