‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Will Hit Theaters Sooner Than Expected As Disney Shuffles Film Release Schedule
The movie division of Walt Disney Studios has announced updated release dates for several of its upcoming films, including the highly anticipated Mary Poppins Returns.
Originally slated to open in theaters this Christmas, Dec. 25, the flick based on P.L. Travers’ book series will now hit the silver screen six days earlier, on Dec. 19, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Mary Poppins Returns features actress Emily Blunt (Into the Woods, The Girl on the Train) as the whimsical nanny, who was originally played by the great Julie Andrews in Disney’s 1964 musical Mary Poppins.
Directed by Rob Marshall (Into the Woods, Chicago) and with a score written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Broadway’s Hairspray, TV’s Smash), the sequel picks up 25 years after the original fantasy film.
Set in Depression-era London, according to Theater Mania, the movie follows grown-up Jane and Michael Banks, and his three children, as they 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.”
In addition to Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns co-stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Judie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke (Bert from the original Mary Poppins).
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Mary Poppins Returns will now compete for box office dollars with two movies that will come out two days later, on Dec. 21, that are also expected to be huge blockbusters: Paramount Pictures’ Bumblebee, the sixth film in the live-action Transformers series (starring Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena), and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Aquaman, the studio’s latest superhero flick (featuring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, and Nicole Kidman).
Watch the Mary Poppins Returns teaser trailer below.
These are the other movies Disney provided updated release dates for:
- Oct. 11, 2019: Based on the popular Disneyland ride, Jungle Cruise is about a dangerous boat trip to find a tree believed to contain healing powers. The movie will feature Disney darling Blunt, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Paul Giamatti, Jesse Plemons, and Edgar Ramirez.
- May 29, 2020: Disney fans can look forward to Maleficent 2, the sequel to 2014’s Maleficent, with Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning reprising their roles of Maleficent and Aurora, respectively.
- Feb. 12, 2021: Getting released five months earlier than originally expected will be an untitled Marvel superhero flick.
- July 9, 2021: First slated for a July 2019 release, the Steven-Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones 5 has been rescheduled twice now. The film starring Harrison Ford has been delayed because of reported script issues. Read more about the fifth Indiana Jones film in an Inquisitr article published earlier today.
