Dick Van Dyke to return for ‘Mary Poppins’ sequel

Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke just confirmed that he will be making an appearance in 2018’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” the cinematic sequel to the 1964 Disney classic “Mary Poppins.”

“Mary Poppins” is beloved by many, thanks to delightful performances by Julie Andrews as the eponymous magical nanny, and Van Dyke as the ever-positive chimney sweep, Bert.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Van Dyke reminisced about his time on the “Mary Poppins” production.

“There was a spirit about that thing from the very beginning,” he said. “Walt (Disney) had me in, and I heard the score and saw the scenes storyboarded on a wall, and I just knew.”

According to Hollywood Reporter, “Mary Poppins Returns” will be set two decades after the first film’s events.

“This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up,” Van Dyke explained. “It’s a great cast – Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy (Lin-Manuel Miranda) from ‘Hamilton.’ ”

We don’t know yet if Van Dyke is going to reprise his role as Bert, if he’s going to play a significant role in the story, or if he’s simply going to make a brief cameo as a nod to fans.

Bert is a good friend to Poppins in the original film; in the sequel, Miranda’s character, the lamplighter Jack, will take on a similar role.

“It’s the same position. It’s a different character,” said Miranda. “I get to be around for the adventures with Mary and the kids and sing and dance and do all the fun things. It’s a new story.”

Miranda will also be composing some music for the sequel. For samples of his work, check out the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” or Disney’s most recent animated film, “Moana.” The main songwriting duties, however, are going to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Unfortunately, Julie Andrews won’t be reprising her iconic role, which has been awarded to Emily Blunt. Blunt is known to be a butt-kicker in the movies, so maybe Mary Poppins will be hiding a semi-automatic rifle under her umbrella this time around.

Serving as director for “Mary Poppins Returns” is Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Into the Woods”), who is also producing the film alongside Marc Platt and John DeLuca. The screenplay is by David Magee.

The film will be released on December 25, 2018. — BM, GMA News