Original 'Mary Poppins' actor Dick Van Dyke joins Lin-Manuel Miranda for sequel

Dick Van Dyke says he'll be back for the upcoming 'Poppins' sequel, which will be released in 2018. Unlike the various live-action takes on animated movies that Disney has planned, this new 'Poppins' movie continues the story.

“Mary Poppins” actor Dick Van Dyke is returning to that fictional world for another step in time. 

Mr. Van Dyke has said he will appear in the upcoming “Mary Poppins” sequel from Disney, “Mary Poppins Returns,” which stars Emily Blunt in the title role alongside Meryl Streep and “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Van Dyke starred with Julie Andres in the original 1964 musical about a magical nanny who takes a British family under her wing, appearing as both chimney sweep Bert and banker Mr. Dawes. Now, Van Dyke said in a recent interview, he will portray the son of Mr. Dawes. 

“I got to be a part of it,” the actor told Entertainment Tonight. He noted that while he donned a beard and other makeup to portray Mr. Dawes originally, “This time there's no four hours in the makeup chair,” he said. “I grew into the part.” 

Van Dyke also confirmed that he "get[s] to do a little song and dance number" in the new film.

The new movie will take place decades after the first and, according to the Hollywood Reporter, will center on an older Michael Banks, who now has a family and needs the aid of both his older sister, Jane, and their childhood nanny, Mary Poppins. 

Disney is planning plenty of riffs on its older properties, including a live-action version of their animated hit “Beauty and the Beast” that’s set to come out in March 2017. But unlike that and past box office successes like this year’s “The Jungle Book" and 2015’s “Cinderella,” the upcoming movie is not a live-action recreation of the original movie but a continuation of the earlier story. 

“Mary Poppins Returns” will come out almost two years from now – it’s scheduled to hit theaters in December, a release spot previously occupied by “Into the Woods,” another Disney musical directed by “Mary Poppins Returns” helmer Rob Marshall.