Dick Van Dyke to Appear in 'Mary Poppins' Sequel
By Seth Kelley, Variety
Dick Van Dyke will appear in the upcoming Mary Poppins sequel, Disney confirmed on Tuesday.
The veteran actor played both the chimney sweep, Bert, and the bank chairman Mr. Dawes Senior in the 1964 original, starring opposite Julie Andrews.
The film won five Oscars in 1965 including a best original song awards for “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” performed by Van Dyke in the movie. The song was penned by dynamic duo Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, otherwise known as the Sherman Brothers.
Related: Colin Firth Joins Emily Blunt in ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)
The sequel has attracted an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt in the lead role, Meryl Streep and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who will play a new character resembling Van Dyke’s Bert.
The sequel’s story will take place in Depression-era London (when the books were originally written) and follows a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, who, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by Poppins following a personal loss. She and her friend Jack help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.
Rob Marshall will direct the film as well as produce with John DeLuca and Marc Platt — the same team that created Disney’s 2014 musical adaptation of Into the Woods. David Magee is adapting the screenplay from The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers. Marc Shaiman is composing an all-new score and writing original songs alongside Scott Wittman.
Van Dyke first broke the news to the Hollywood Reporter. The Mary Poppins sequel is slated for release on Dec. 25, 2018.
Watch a home-video trailer for the original:
