Julie Andrews Will Not Appear in Disney's MARY POPPINS RETURNS

To the disappointment of MARY POPPINS fans everywhere, director Rob Marshall revealed that the original magical nanny, Julie Andrews, will not be making an appearance in Disney's highly anticipated MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Speaking to EW , the director explains the reasoning as to why the legendary actress will be absent from the film.

Comments Marshall, "Julie was incredibly gracious, and we talked about it in a very general way but she made it clear right up front. She said, 'This is Emily's show, and I really want it to be Emily's show. I don't want it to be, "Oh, here comes that Mary Poppins." I don't want that. I really want her to take this and run with it, because she will be brilliant.'"

Last August, it was reported that Andrews gave a strong endorsement to the idea of Blunt in the titular role. According to reports, the actress exclaimed "Oh, wonderful" upon hearing the casting news. In response, Blunt was quoted as saying, "I felt like I wanted to cry. It was lovely to get her stamp of approval. That took the edge off it, for sure."

Read the EW article in full HERE.

"Mary Poppins Returns" will be released in U.S. theaters on December 25, 2018. Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, "Mary Poppins Returns" stars Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer and Julie Walters with Colin Firth and Meryl Streep. The film, which introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson, also features Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury.

The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers' additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help THE FAMILY rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).

The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca and Marc Platt. The screenplay is by David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman writing all new songs and Shaiman composing an original score.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios