“Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda is in talks to join Disney’s “Mary Poppins” sequel, TheWrap has learned.
Emily Blunt is set to play Mary Poppins, while Miranda is making a deal to play a lamplighter named Jack who shares similarities with Dick Van Dyke‘s character from the original movie.
Rob Marshall will direct the musical, which will be produced by his “Into the Woods” collaborators Marc Platt and John DeLuca.
Drawing from the wealth of material in P.L. Travers’ additional seven novels, the new live-action musical will be set in Depression-era London some 20 years after the original “Mary Poppins” film.
The sequel will revolve around a now-grown Michael Banks, who has children of his own. In tough times, big sister Jane returns and they are thrilled when their beloved Mary Poppins comes back to help.
Disney and Marshall are working with the Travers estate, and “Mary Poppins” composer Richard Sherman is aware and supportive of the project, which boasts a screenplay by David Magee. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will be composing original songs and an all-new score.
Miranda has been busy building a relationship with Disney, having composed original music for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the studio’s animated movie “Moana.” He also wrote the script and songs for “Hamilton” and will likely contribute his songwriting talents to the “Mary Poppins” sequel.
Miranda is represented by WME.