Mary Poppins Returns Plot Details Revealed | E! News 

Mary Poppins Returns Plot Details Revealed

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At last, Walt Disney Studios has revealed what fans can expect from

. Production has commenced at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, the studio announced Friday. The film—scheduled for release December 25, 2018—stars Emily Blunt in the title role.

features an all-star cast that includes Colin Firth, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Emily Mortimer, Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw. Additionally, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson and Nathanael Saleh star as three new Banks children. Best of all, Dick Van Dyke—who played Bert in 1964\'s

—stars as Mr. Dawes Jr., the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, which is now run by William Weatherall Wilkins (Firth).

—a sequel to the Oscar-winning classic starring Julie Andrews—is set in 1930s depression-era London. In a press release, the studio shared key details for the first time.

"Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane," Walt Disney Studios said. "After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives."

Along the way, Blunt\'s character will also introduce the Banks children "to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep)."

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

John DeLuca, Marshall and Marc Platt are producing

by author PL Travers. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman created brand new songs, while Shaiman also composed an original score.

For Blunt, playing the iconic character is a "dream" come true. "She\'s such an iconic nostalgic figure for people. It\'s a gift to give to my kids that I get to be this generation\'s Mary Poppins."

"I\'m learning the songs," Blunt told E! News\' Marc Malkin in October. "We did an incredible workshop of the script a few weeks back. It\'s so heart racing, so exciting. It\'s a complete different re-imagining of the whole thing. And I\'m scared and thrilled to be in it and it\'s cool."

Miranda is similarly ecstatic about continuing Mary Poppins\' story. "It\'s incredible so I\'m proud to be a part of it," the Tony winner told E! News last summer. "And could you imagine a better Mary Poppins than Emily Blunt? Are you kidding me? I\'m just so thrilled to be in that room."

TAGS/ Disney , Movies , Emily Blunt , Lin-Manuel Miranda , Dick Van Dyke , Meryl Streep , Colin Firth , Celebrities , Top Stories

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