Disney has confirmed that Emily Blunt will play Mary Poppins in an upcoming remake of the much-loved film. The studio has also announced plans for nine new live-action movies inspired by previous hits, including a 101 Dalmations spin-off Cruella, starring actress Emma Stone in the leading role.
Emily has long been rumoured to play the title role in the Mary Poppins reboot since it was announced in September. However, the actress, who is pregnant with her second child, previously played down reports that she had already been offered the role, telling Digital Spy: "No, I've heard rumours of this and people have spoken to me about it today and there's not been anything official. I mean, she's an icon."
Emily Blunt has been confirmed to play Mary Poppins in an upcoming remake
The new film will be set 20 years after Disney's original Mary Poppins and will draw inspiration from all of P.L Travers ' book series, with Into the Woods director Rob Marshall already on board.
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It is just one of many new live-action films in the works by Disney. While the star-studded Beauty and the Beast and Alice Through the Looking Glass remakes are already in production, a number of Disney's animated classics will also be reworked in the next two years.
Emma Stone will play Cruella in a 101 Dalmations spin-off
Angelina Jolie will reprise her role as Maleficent in a follow-up to the 2014 film, and director Jon Favreau will revisit the story of man-cub Mowgli for The Jungle Book 2, following the recent success of the live-action film.
Meanwhile, director Tim Burton has been confirmed to shoot a modern retelling of Dumbo, and Reese Witherspoon will play a leading role in Tinker Bell, a remake of Disney's Peter Pan. Jungle Cruise – a film based on a theme park ride and starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will also soon go into production.