Emma Thompson in Talks to Star Opposite Tom Hanks in Making of Mary Poppins Drama Saving Mr. Banks

Oscar winner Emma Thompson may star as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers in Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, according to Deadline.com. As previously announced, Tom Hanks is in talks to play Walt Disney. Written by Kelly Marcel and directed by The Blind Side’s John Lee Hancock, the upcoming film tells the story of how Disney convinced Travers to sign off on a movie version of her classic novel. Meryl Streep was previously speculated to play Travers. 

Saving Mr. Banks takes place over the 14-year time period Disney spent trying to convince Travers to adapt Mary Poppins for the big screen. Their relationship became rocky during the movie's eventual production, Travers upset how the adaptation was handled, especially the movie's animated sequences. The 1964 film starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, and won five Academy Awards. The stage adaptation of the hit movie continues to run at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre.

Thompson received Academy Awards for starring in Howard's End and for her screenplay of Sense and Sensibility. She also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film remake of My Fair Lady. Her many film credits include The Remains of the Day, Love Actually, An Education, Nanny McPhee, Last Chance Harvey, Brideshead Revisited, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Wit and Angels in America.