Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep star in first look images from Mary Poppins Returns
The sequel to the classic Julie Andrews movie shows off leads Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Mortimer in new pictures
After waiting over 50 years for a follow-up, fans of the original 1964 Mary Poppins are getting a treat today with the release of new images from sequel Mary Poppins Returns.
Released in December 2018 and set in the 1930s, the film follows the grown-up Banks children from the original film (played by Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer) when they run into more trouble, inspiring the return of Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt taking over for Julie Andrews) to come and help the family.
Whishaw and Mortimer as the adult Jane and Michael Banks, with Michael’s sons Georgie (Joel Dawson) and John (Nathanael Saleh) and Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt)
The new first-look pictures show the Banks clan in action, as well as some concept art for the new film, and you can read a full summary of the movie from EW below:
Mary Poppins Returns, directed by Rob Marshall (Into the Woods), picks up 25 years after the events of the first film, fast-forwarding to London’s mid-1930s economic slump, the actual time period of [author PL] Travers’ books. Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane has become the warm, loving home that banker and artist Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) shares with his wife and three children. But after the sudden death of Michael’s wife, the Banks family is shattered — even enthusiastic aunt Jane (Emily Mortimer), now a fervent union organiser, and long-time housemaid Ellen (Julie Walters) can’t help lift spirits — and so in time, the once-blossoming home is on the verge of foreclosure.
Cue the arrival of prim and peculiar Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), who leads Michael’s wayward children (and Jane and Michael themselves) on a series of unbelievable adventures — to the top of Big Ben, the bottom of the ocean, into magical encounters with animated dancing penguins and upside-down cousins (hey, Meryl Streep!). If anyone can help this family find the light they’ve lost, it’s Mary Poppins.
The film also stars Hamilton creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda (above) as a lamplighter called Jack and Humans star Pixie Davis as one of the new generation of Banks kids, with the original film’s co-star Dick van Dyke also returning to shoot a brief cameo.
Other stars include Meryl Streep as Mary Poppins' cousin Topsy, Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, Julie Walters as housemaid Ellen and Colin Firth as William Weatherall Wilkins, president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.
Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson rehearse at the piano with composer Marc Shaiman
“The bar is so high for this,” director Marshall said. “But to be able to walk in the footsteps of this beautiful story about a woman who brings magic to this family that’s looking for wonder and hope and joy in their lives… I feel a great responsibility and reverence every day. We all feel it. We’re just lifting it up to get there with the right intentions behind it.”
Well so far things are looking practically perfect in every way. Or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, if you prefer.
Mary Poppins Returns will be released in December 2018
