Will Lin-Manuel Miranda "Step in Time" in Disney's New Mary Poppins Sequel?
(© David Gordon)
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is in talks to take on a "Dick Van Dyke"-like role in Disney's upcoming film sequel to Mary Poppins.
Variety reports that Miranda, who wrote and leads the company of the juggernaut Broadway musical Hamilton, would play Jack, a lamplighter in the mold of Bert, a character originated by Van Dyke on-screen in 1964. He would star alongside Emily Blunt (Into the Woods), who is also in talks to play the title role.
The film reunites the team behind Disney's recent adaptation of Into the Woods, with Rob Marshall directing and John DeLuca and Marc Platt serving as producers.
The new look at Mary Poppins is expected to be set in Depression-era London, 20 years after the first film. It will continue to take story lines from P.L. Travers' children books and focus on the nanny's interactions with the Banks family. The original film musical version of Mary Poppins was released in 1964 and starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Disney's Broadway musical version of the story ran at the New Amsterdam Theatre from 2006-2013.
