A new live-action Mary Poppins television series is in development, but this won’t simply be a small-screen remake of Disney’s beloved 1964 musical.
The series is expected to return to the source material: P. L. Travers’ original eight Mary Poppins books, opening up the stranger, darker and more expansive world created by the author.
While Julie Andrews’ iconic film version presented Mary Poppins as a warm and whimsical nanny, Travers’ literary character is considerably more mysterious, unpredictable and, at times, unsettling. The books take their characters into magical, surreal and occasionally frightening adventures that go well beyond the story told in Disney’s classic film.
The project is being developed and produced by Tom Winchester through Pure Fiction Television, the independent production company backed by See-Saw Films, the company behind Slow Horses and Heartstopper, along with UK talent agency Hamilton Hodell.
Winchester is developing the series on behalf of the trustees of the P. L. Travers estate, having secured an option on the rights to the books. The project remains in the very early stages, with conversations reportedly taking place with Disney and Winchester approaching high-profile showrunners.
The series does not currently require Disney’s involvement from a rights perspective. However, there is interest in potentially bringing the studio on board given its long history with the Mary Poppins property. No agreement has been reached, and the project is currently at the pitching stage.
The Mary Poppins franchise remains one of the most recognizable properties in entertainment. Travers’ books were famously adapted by Disney into the 1964 musical starring Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, which went on to become an Oscar-winning classic.
Travers, however, was openly critical of Disney’s interpretation of her work. Her difficult relationship with the studio and her objections to the making of the film later became the basis for the 2013 movie Saving Mr. Banks, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.
Disney returned to the world of Mary Poppins in 2018 with Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Directed by Rob Marshall, the sequel was produced by Marshall alongside John DeLuca and Marc Platt.
The new television adaptation could therefore offer something considerably different: a chance to bring Travers’ original, more unusual vision of Mary Poppins to the screen.
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