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Emily Blunt Is Mary Poppins — But Is She Right For The Role?

By Kalpana Negi
Published on: 05:11 PST, Feb 19, 2016

Emily Blunt is going to be the new Mary Poppins in Disney’s forthcoming sequel, Variety has said. Rob Marshall is set to direct the movie. Marc Plantt and John DeLuca will produce the movie. The sources have said that Emily Blunt has been a favorite right from the outset.

In the new version, the songs will be written by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. Marshall has directed Oscar-winning Chicago and Nice. He has told Vulture that the new film is going to be an an “extension” of the original, and not a remake, Guardian has reported.

“It is not a new Mary Poppins,” he said. “PL Travers wrote eight books all together. They worked from the first book, and we are working from the other books, not touching the iconic brilliance of Mary Poppins.”

Although the deal has not been finalized. The fact Blunt is expecting her second child may also play a huge role in her decision.

The original film came out in 1964 and starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The story is about a nanny who works for a banker’s family in pre-World War I England. The film grossed $100 million at the Box Office, and Julie Andrews earned an Academy Award for her performance. The Mary Poppins books are some of the most-loved children’s books of all time. But, will this period piece reboot appeal to the 21st century audience? That remains to be seen.

The move is continuing Disney’s tradition of recent live action films such as Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella.

Many publications have deemed Blunt as “perfect” for the role. However, it’s not really clear which book Marshall is going to pick. Marshall is also in talks with Disney to make a Broadway musical out of the movie, What Culture has reported.

Although it’s not really clear if Blunt’s reported pregnancy will have an impact on the movie, LA magazine noted in 2014 that several TV actresses like Claire Danes, Kristen Bell and Kerry Washington were able to continue working despite their pregnancies. Whether the same will be true for Blunt isn’t clear at the moment, Jezebel has reported.

Rob Marshall had expressed a lot of enthusiasm when he talked about the sequel with Variety. He said that he was in awe of Julie Andrews, a very good friend of his.

“P.L. Travers wrote eight books all together. They worked from the first book, and we are working from the other books, not touching the iconic brilliance of Mary Poppins. This is an extension. I’m a huge fan of the original, and I’m a very good friend of Julie Andrews, and I hold it in such awe,” he said.

He added that the Mary Poppins books were the Harry Potter of its time, and ee was curious to know why they were never turned into anything.

“There is all this new material — it was the Harry Potter of its time — and they were never turned into anything further than that adventure.”

Marshall also said that he really does want Julie Andrews to be involved in his film and noted her excitement about the project. “She is a very dear friend, and if she could be involved in some way, it would be very special,” he says. “I know she is very happy that we’re doing it and, after 50 years, feels that it is time.”

Do you think Emily Blunt is going to do justice as the new Mary Poppins? Do you think she has enough experience to play the character?

[Photo By Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]

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