What To Expect From Mary Poppins 3

Now that Mary Poppins Returns is out for everyone to see, it’s time to look forward to Mary Poppins 3. Releasing 54 years after Robert Stevenson’s iconic Mary Poppins film, which was produced by Walt Disney himself and based on the book of the same name by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins Returns narratively takes place only 25 years or so after the events of the first movie – which makes Mary Poppins Returns a sequel, not a reboot.

However, that’s not to say that Mary Poppins Returns can’t be considered as a form of revival, seeing as Walt Disney Studios appears to be imagining Rob Marshall’s critically acclaimed sequel as something of a first step in a new and, hopefully, bold direction for the Mary Poppins series, rather than a simple one-off sequel to capitalize on for the holiday season.

Related: Mary Poppins Returns Went Right Back To P.L. Travers’ Books

After all, live-action remakes and sequels to classic properties is a major cornerstone for Walt Disney Studios, and their future movie slate – outside of Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios, that is – is filled to the brim with those types of movies. Instead of branching off into original territory again, as they tried with Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland, Disney is now aiming to mine their library in order to capitalize on nostalgia – and the Mary Poppins series could very well be at the core of that plan.

There Are No Plans For A Mary Poppins 3 (But It Could Happen)

At the moment, there’s no word on Disney’s plan to make Mary Poppins 3, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t at least discussing the possibility behind the scenes. Given Disney’s predilection for sequels, the Mary Poppins series is ripe for more movies. Travers wrote numerous books about Mary Poppins and the Banks children, and that’s something that the filmmakers stressed on the set of Mary Poppins Returns, so it stands to reason that Mary Poppins 3 is certainly a possibility for the studio (and the creative team). Plus, it’s worth noting that projects with extensive source material, which have also seen financial successful, have had sequels been given the green light from Disney.

What Would Mary Poppins 3 Be About?

While the 1964 Mary Poppins movie primarily took inspiration from the first book, Mary Poppins Returns is loosely inspired by the following seven – everything from Mary Poppins Comes Back to Mary Poppins and the House Next Door. However, Mary Poppins Returns isn’t a direct adaptation of those stories; rather, it takes their fundamental ideas and expands on them to tell one cohesive story. Interestingly, that leaves the door open to revisit them again.

While there’s no definitive direction Mary Poppins 3 can take, there are multiple possibilities. Mary Poppins 3 can return to the same Banks children that are in Mary Poppins Returns and tell yet another adventure or it can follow Jack’s potential relationship with Jane Banks (and then their children, if they ever have any). That way, Mary Poppins‘ stories can stay with the Banks family but continue in a different direction at the same time. The fact is, there are plenty of books and stories to mine through, so finding something for Mary Poppins 3 shouldn’t be a problem.

When Could Mary Poppins 3 Release?

Even though P.L. Travers infamously didn’t want another Mary Poppins movie to happen, the Travers estate signed off on Mary Poppins Returns before the film was given the green light in late 2015. But then it came together quite quickly, with production having wrapped in July 2017. It only released so late due to Disney wanting to capitalize on the December release frame as well as distancing itself from other Disney releases.

Considering that the children in the film are growing, if Disney wanted to have Mary Poppins 3 continue the story with the same cast and crew, then they would need to move forward with a sequel quickly; even then, Mary Poppins 3 wouldn’t release for another three years at the earliest (2021). However, with a property as beloved as Mary Poppins, it may take Disney several more years to work out plans for Mary Poppins 3, so it’s not something that audiences expect to see anytime soon.

More: Disney’s Upcoming Movie Releases – From 2018 to 2023

About The Author

Mansoor Mithaiwala
(1888 Articles Published)

Mansoor Mithaiwala is Screen Rant’s TV Lead Editor. He originally joined the site as a freelance writer on the Lists team before moving over to News and Features, eventually becoming an editor in 2018. Over time he’s done quite a few different things, including helping launch gaming on the site, often handling news, features, and guides simultaneously. Now he sticks primarily to movies and TV, and spends way too much time looking at analytics. It sure seems like he’s put his Political Science degree to good use, huh?

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