Disney Pursuing Emily Blunt for Rob Marshall-Helmed MARY POPPINS Sequel

INTO THE WOODS star Emily Blunt may re-team with Disney and Rob Marshall once more.

According to Variety, the actress (who played 'The Baker's Wife' in the 2014 film adaptation of the hit Stephen Sondheim musical) is currently in early talks to star in the studio's planned MARY POPPINS sequel, which Marshall is set to direct.

Blunt, who is reportedly Disney's top choice for the role, is currently expecting her second child with husband John Krasinski. Her deal will rely heavily upon scheduling, sources told the publication.

The MARY POPPINS sequel will be set in "Depression-era London 20 years after the first film and will take story lines from P.L. Travers' children books focusing on Poppins' continued adventures with the Banks family."

The film will be produced by John DeLuca and Marc Platt and will feature a score by Broadway vets Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Smash, Catch Me If You Can), with a screenplay written by Finding Neverland's David Magee.

"It is not a new Mary Poppins," Marshall told Vulture last year. "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. 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."

On whether Julie Andrews will return for Marshall's film, he added, "She is a very dear friend, and if she could be involved in some way, it would be very special. I know she is very happy that we're doing it and, after 50 years, feels that it is time."

MARY POPPINS is a 1964 British American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, loosely based on P. L. Travers' book series of the same name. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in the titular role of a magical nanny who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

MARY POPPINS was released on August 27, 1964 to universal acclaim, receiving a total of thirteen Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture-an unsurpassed record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios-and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Songfor "Chim Chim Cher-ee".

In 2006, a musical version opened on Broadway and played for 2619 performances. Produced by Walt DisneyTheatrical and directed by Richard Eyre with co-direction from Matthew Bourne who also acted as co-choreographer with Stephen Mear, the original West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre Choreography. The Broadway production with a near-identical creative team opened with only minor changes from the West End version. It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, winning for Best Scenic Design.

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