Sources tell Variety, the Oscar-winning actress is in talks to join Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns.
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The story is set in Depression-era London and revolves around a now-grown Michael Banks, who has children of his own.
The project would bring Streep back together with Disney Studios, Blunt, and director Rob Marshall – all were part of 2014’s Into the Woods, which earned Streep her 19th (!) Oscar nomination. This comes from Variety, which says Streep would be playing Mary Poppins’ cousin Topsy, a character who Julie Andrews’ Poppins never felt the need to mention in the original film even though she’s apparently important enough to be played by Meryl freakin’ Streep. Miss Topsy was first introduced in that book as the betrothed of Poppins’ cousin Mr Turvy (they marry and she becomes Topsy Turvy, of course).
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“Mary Poppins” first entered pop culture through P.L. Travers’ 1934 book, which Disney adapted for the screen and released in August 1964. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will be composing original songs and an all-new score. So, it will be an interesting (and fitting) time period for the titular character to seek those who truly need her wonderful guidance and support. That would suggest that Mary Poppins will return to the Banks’ lives and frustratingly find that Michael and Jane have forgotten her lessons, that Michael’s children are spoilt and rotten and that solving the situation might require more than a spoonful of sugar.
