Julie Andrews reveals how she feels about Mary Poppins Returns and its lead actress Emily Blunt

13:21, Jun 12 2017
Walt Disney brought Mary Poppins to the silver screen in 1964 but Julie Andrews won't be in the reboot.
DISNEY
Walt Disney brought Mary Poppins to the silver screen in 1964 but Julie Andrews won't be in the reboot.

The next Mary Poppins film will warm hearts everywhere with the same characters (albeit grown up) and even a special appearance by everyone's favourite chimney sweeper - but it will sadly lack one notable nanny.

Mary Poppins Returns won't star the great Dame Julie Andrews.

While she is still fully supportive of Mary Poppins Returns - the sequel to the movie in which she played the lead role 53 years ago - Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall said told Entertainment Weekly that the 81-year old star wanted to hang back from the spotlight in order to give the next Mary Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, the respect she deserved.

Dame Julie Andrews, when she was in Auckland five years ago.
MICHAEL BRADLEY
Dame Julie Andrews, when she was in Auckland five years ago.

Fans will recognise Blunt from The Devil Wears Prada and The Girl on the Train.

READ MORE:
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* The first look at Emily Blunt's Mary Poppins
​* Dick van Dyke says the trick to staying youthful is to 'keep moving'
* Julie Andrews blesses Mary Poppins reboot

Marshall told Entertainment Weekly: "Julie was incredibly gracious, and we talked about it in a very general way but she made it clear right up front.

Emily Blunt takes over from Julie Andrews in the title role.
TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS
Emily Blunt takes over from Julie Andrews in the title role.

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.'"

"Julie will always be, for me and for everybody, the most astonishing performance as Mary Poppins, winning the Oscar and bursting onto the scene so brilliantly.

"But Emily is the perfect person to carry the torch, and I know Julie feels the exact same way. She loves her."

Dick van Dyke, 91, who played Bert and Mr Dawes Sr in the original film alongside Andrews, will return to play the son of a banker in the Mary Poppins reboot.

"I play the son of the old banker - another old man - and I do a song and dance number too," he said. 

"So it looks good, it looks good."

DISNEY
In this Disney film from 1964, Julie Andrews stars as a mysterious nanny who appears to find some fun for a banker's children. Based on P. L. Travers' book series of the same name.

Mary Poppins Returns is due to be released in theatres over Christmas 2018.

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