Meryl Streep Might Join 'Mary Poppins'

This whole Mary Poppins sequel just keeps getting better and better. I thought I had reached the limit of happiness over the movie when I heard that Emily Blunt had signed on for the title role, but then Lin Manuel Miranda came out of the Broadway woodworks and decided that he was going to sign on to the project as well, and my spoonful-of-sugar-loving heart just about burst into spontaneous song. Hearts do that, you know, when there is that much good news on the line. So you can only imagine what sort of state my heart was in when I heard that Meryl Streep is in talks to join the Mary Poppins cast as well. This movie’s cast just keeps getting and better, but who will Streep play in the Mary Poppins sequel? That is the question on everyone’s mind.

If you’re thinking the actress would be perfect in the role of Mrs. Banks — BTW, she totally would — you’re thinking in the wrong direction. It turns out that this Mary Poppins movie is going to take place quite a number of years after the original storyline. In it, the movie will revolve around a grown Jane and Michael Banks (and Michael’s three young children) as they deal with a deep personal loss. In their state of grief, Mary Poppins returns to care for the children and their caretakers. So where exactly does Streep fit in to all of this?

It turns out that she will be playing an entirely new character. If she nabs the role, Streep will sign on as Topsy, Mary Poppins’ cousin who will likely add a level of delight and wonder to these characters’ lives. Not to mention, if it happens, this casting news would mean a major Devil Wears Prada reunion between Blunt and Streep. As if we needed any more reason to love the idea of this iconic actress starring in a Mary Poppins sequel.

The movie, titled Mary Poppins Returns, is set to premiere in theaters on December 25, 2018. And with Streep potentially signing on to star in the film, something tells me this could be a serious Oscar contender.