'Mary Poppins Returns': First Photos and Details of Disney's Jolly Holiday Released

At long last, we have the scoop on Mary Poppins Returns (in theaters Christmas 2018), a movie that looks as sweet as a spoonful of you-know-what. This week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story is all about the new Disney musical — a sequel to, and not a reboot of — the 1964 classic (which won 5 Oscars and was nominated for 8 more, including Best Picture). Emily Blunt, who plays the title role, graces the magazine’s cover in a jaunty blue hat and red suit, an update on the tailored nanny ensemble originally worn by Julie Andrews. The story contains exclusive photos from the set of the film, including stars Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Meryl Streep. Check out some of the images in the magazine’s tweets below, and read on to find out exactly why Mary Poppins has returned.

The new film centers on the same London home as the first: Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, now occupied by a grown Michael Banks (Ben Wishaw) and his three children in the 1930s. After the unexpected passing of his wife brings emotional and financial hardship, Michael forgets the lessons imparted to him by Mary Poppins when he was a child. Fortunately, a very well-preserved Mary is waiting in the wings to bring joy back to the Banks home.

Miranda plays Jack, a lamplighter who trained under Bert, Dick Van Dyke‘s character from the first film. Streep plays Mary’s cousin whose entire home is upside-down (no doubt a nod to Ed Wynn’s Uncle Albert in the original film, who lived much of his life on the ceiling). Van Dyke himself makes a cameo, and while Disney is keeping details under wraps, EW confirms that he is not playing Bert. Other featured actors include Angela Lansbury (playing the “balloon lady” from the P.L. Travers books on which both films are based), Colin Firth as bank president William Weatherall Wilkins, and Emily Mortimer as the grown Jane Banks, Michael’s sister.

Directed by Rob Marshall (Into the Woods) with new songs by Hairspray duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the new film will take Mary “to the top of Big Ben” and “the bottom of the ocean,” according to EW’s Marc Snetiker. Even the dancing penguins will be making a comeback. All in all, it sounds like Disney is working hard to make this film as supercalifragilistic as the one we know and love.

‘Mary Poppins’: Watch the trailer for the 50th anniversary release of the original movie:

Read more from Yahoo Movies:

• Lin-Manuel Miranda on His Oscar-Nominated ‘Moana’ Song: ‘You Start by Thinking, Don’t Write “Let It Go”‘

• Emily Blunt’s First Photo as Magical Nanny in ‘Mary Poppins Returns’: Compare Her Look to Julie Andrews in ’64

• ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Visual Effects Producer Shares Inside Dish on ‘Be Our Guest’