Disney continues to round out the cast of Mary Poppins Returns: Meryl Streep is reportedly “in talks” to pile onto the project with Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda.
That’s according to Variety, which notes:
If a deal closes, the family film would reunite Streep with the “Into the Woods” musical team of Blunt, director Rob Marshall, and producers Marc Platt and John DeLuca. Streep and Blunt also shared the screen in “The Devil Wears Prada.” Marshall and John De Luca are also producing.
She’d sing, too. However, contrary to my initial assumption, Meryl will not be reprising her character and costume from Suffragette in order to play the votes-for-women mother of the original Disney movie, but rather “is said to play the role of Poppins’ cousin, Topsy, a supporting role that wasn’t in the 1964 classic,” according to Variety.
And a refresher on how they’re approaching the story:
Drawing from the wealth of material in P.L. Travers’ seven Mary Poppins novels, the 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.
Coming Christmas 2018, Meryl Streep is... Topsy Poppins.