In a new profile in The Hollywood Reporter, living legend and original Mary Poppins co-star Dick Van Dyke (who just turned 91) has confirmed he will join the Mary Poppins Returns cast. It is unclear whether Mr. Van Dyke will being doing just cameo or will have a larger role in the film.
“This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up,” Van Dyke says. “It’s a great cast — Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] from Hamilton.”
Best known for classic series like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis Murder, the still-spry actor/dancer/secret CGI animator has also been introduced to a new generation as Cecil in the Night at the Museum movies.
A Walt Disney Pictures production, the Mary Poppins Returns cast features Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Angela Lansbury and Colin Firth.
Reuniting the director and producing team behind Disney’s hit film musical Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns will be directed by Oscar nominee, Emmy and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall and produced by Marshall, Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee John DeLuca and Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Marc Platt. The screenplay will be written by Oscar nominee David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers, with Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Marc Shaiman composing an all-new score and Shaiman and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Scott Wittman writing original songs.
Drawing from the wealth of material in P.L. Travers’ seven additional novels, the sequel’s story will take place in Depression-era London (when the books were originally written) 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.
Look for Mary Poppins Returns to hit theaters on December 25, 2018.
