THE CRUCIBLE's Ben Whishaw to Sign on for MARY POPPINS RETURNS?

Just off a run in THE CRUCIBLE on Broadway, Ben Whishaw, also well known for his role as 'Q' in the new James Bond films, is in talks to join Disney's upcoming sequel to the beloved 1964 film, MARY POPPINS RETURNS.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that the actor Whishaw would play "a grown-up Michael Banks, who is a key figure in the new story. Banks experiences a person loss and sees the return of his big sister Jane. That results in the arrival of the magical Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) who teams up with her lamplighter friend Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) to help the family."

Hello! Magazine also recently reported that Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, stars of the original Mary Poppins film, are in negotiations for the upcoming project.

Additionally, rumors have begun to surface that Blunt's two-time former co-star, Meryl Streep, is also in talks to join the cast as Mary Poppins' cousin, Topsy.

With a cast that includes Emily Blunt (Into the Woods) as the titular nanny and musical theatre phenom and Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, as lamplighter, Jack, the film joins a growing number of live-action Disney remakes slated for a two-year period. The film is scheduled for a December 2018 release.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride