Mary Poppins Returns continues to add to its already fantastically talented cast, and Ben Whishaw may just be the latest to join the team.
As we’ve reported previously, Mary Poppins Returns is no remake of the original 1964 classic but rather a sequel to the Julie Andrews-led musical. Emily Blunt is already set to star as Mary Poppins herself, and she’ll be joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda as a street lamplighter and Meryl Streep as Mary Poppins’ cousin, Topsy.
For his part, Whishaw is in talks to play a grown up Michael Banks! Variety reports that the deal isn’t official just yet, but hopefully negotiations go according to plan and he’s quickly added to the roster.
You may know Whishaw from the last two James Bond movies, Skyfall and Spectre, as he played 007’s associate Q. He also appeared in The Danish Girl and voiced the titular character in Paddington.
Director Rob Marshall and Producer Marc Platt previously worked together on Into the Woods with both Streep and Blunt, who played the Witch and the Baker’s Wife, respectively.
Disney’s official synopsis for Mary Poppins Returns reads:
Blunt has been cast as Mary Poppins and Miranda will play a new character, a street lamplighter named Jack. Drawing from the wealth of material in P.L. Travers’ seven additional novels, the 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 the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.
Mary Poppins Returns and will hit theaters December 25, 2018.