The New Mary Poppins Won’t Be A Spoonful Of Sugar

The 1964 Disney version of Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and some awesome dancing penguins holds a special place in many of our childhoods. We fondly remember the magic umbrella and the sweet advice of "A Spoonful of Sugar." How many of us wanted Mary Poppins to pop into our kitchen via her umbrella? Emily Blunt is bringing back the iconic caretaker in Mary Poppins Returns, slated for a 2018, release directed by Rob Marshall, but she warns fans that her nanny will be a little bit different from what they might remember. Blunt told Entertainment Weekly that the new movie will be closer to the original books by P.L. Travers. What does that mean, exactly? Blunt didn't give details, but she did say this: "She's a little meaner, yeah." Even so, Blunt recognizes how important the character is to many around the world and she also feels the pressure of that legacy. "I feel a little more trepidation with this [character] because she’s so emblematic of people’s nostalgia,” Blunt told the magazine. The journey from page to screen for Mary Poppins was the subject of 2013's Saving Mr. Banks. If that movie is any indication, Travers' never meant for Poppins to be all that sweet in the first place. For now, we will just have to wait and see. We can read the original books in the meantime. But we probably shouldn't count on any big dance numbers or worry about practicing how to spelling supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.