Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti and Jason Schwartzman Join SAVING MR. BANKS

According to Variety, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti and Jason Schwartzman have joined the cast of Disney's SAVING MR. BANKS film, about Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers.

Read the original report here.

John Lee Hancock directs from Kelly Marcel's script, which follows Walt Disney's 14-year quest to convince author P.L. Travers to allow his company to acquire the rights to her popular book "Mary Poppins." Emma Thompson is set to portray Travers in the film while Tom Hanks will take on the role of Disney. Colin Farrell will also star in the movie as Travers' father, who inspired the Mr. Banks character. He passed away when the author was still a young girl.

Wilson will play both wife of Colin Farrell's character and Travers' mother in flashbacks. Wilson is currently working on Disney's The Lone Ranger and will appear in the upcoming film Anna KareninA. Wilson starred Donmar's A Streetcar named desire in 2009 and in 2011's West End revival of Anna Christie.

Giamatti is set to play Travers' chauffeur Ralph. The actor just starred in Rock of Ages and will be featured in the upcoming Cosmopolis. On Broadway, Giamatti has appeared in The Iceman Cometh, The Three Sisters, Racing Demon and Arcadia.

Schwartzman takes on the role of songwriter Richard Morton Sherman, who wrote many songs for Disney films, including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and It's a Small World, among others. Schwartzman has appeared in the films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and more.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.