Will Meryl Streep in new Mary Poppins movie bring 'Into the Woods' success?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Will actress Meryl Streep add another singing role to her résumé?
Ms. Streep is reportedly in talks to appear in the upcoming Disney movie musical about Mary Poppins, "Mary Poppins Returns." The film has already snagged Emily Blunt, who appeared in the 2014 Disney movie musical “Into the Woods” with Streep, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway musical smash hit “Hamilton.”
The “Poppins” sequel is set to be released in December 2018 and will be directed by Rob Marshall, who helmed “Woods.”
Variety reports that if she joins the film, Streep would play the role of Topsy, Mary Poppins’ cousin.
The new movie will reportedly be a sequel to the original 1964 movie. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film will depict the life of Michael Banks, who is one of the children in the first film, as an adult with a family of his own. Mary Poppins (Blunt) and Michael’s sister, Jane, would help Michael’s children.
“Woods,” which included so many of this team, became a critical and box office hit, with Streep receiving a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role and Ms. Blunt receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress in a comedy or musical. (Streep received a nod in that category as well.)
Can “Poppins” become a hit like “Woods”?
Two factors may mean it will. One is that the cast is already shaping up to be a star-studded one, much like “Woods.” “Woods” featured a large ensemble cast including Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, James Corden (before his debut as host of CBS’s “Late Late Show”), and Johnny Depp.
In addition to audiences knowing Blunt and Streep, if the latter joins the film, many now know Mr. Miranda for his work on “Hamilton."
In addition, like “Woods,” “Poppins” will be based on a story that’s familiar to audiences. Recent box office hits such as the 2015 film “Cinderella” and this year’s “The Jungle Book,” which is the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2016 so far domestically, show this can be a winning formula.
Critical reception could of course affect the fortunes of “Poppins,” as “Woods” and many of these other Disney live-action productions were well-reviewed.
