Ben Whishaw Could Join Emily Blunt & Lin-Manuel Miranda for Mary Poppins Returns

Ben Whishaw, who recently appeared on Broadway in The Crucible, is in talks to join Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda in Mary Poppins Returns. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the stage and screen star would play a grown-up version of Michael Banks.

The film will premiere on December 25, 2018. Meryl Streep is also in talks to join the project; the Oscar winner would play Mary Poppins’ cousin Topsy. Original Mary Poppins stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are also rumored to make appearances.

The film, set 20 years after the events of the 1964 feature, will follow Michael as he seeks to reunite with his sister Jane. Mary Poppins (Blunt) flies in to help, with her friend Jack the lamplighter (Miranda) in tow. The movie will feature songs by Tony-winning composing team Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Whishaw made his Broadway debut earlier this year in The Crucible. His notable screen credits include Q in both Skyfall and Spectre, The Lobster, The Danish Girl and Suffragette. His U.K. stage credits include Bakkahi, Mojo, Peter and Alice, The Pride and an Olivier-nominated performance in Hamlet.