Whether it’ll result in a fun Easter egg forMarry Poppinsfans or a full-fledged role alongsideEmily BluntandLin-Manuel Miranda,Dick Van Dykeconfirmed during a recent interview that he’ll appear in the cinematic sequel,Mary Poppins Returns.
Van Dyke recalled his experience working on the originalMary PoppinstoTHRbefore revealing his involvement in the sequel:
There was a spirit about that thing from the very beginning. Walt [Disney] had me in, and I heard the score and saw the scenes storyboarded on a wall, and I just knew…This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up. It’s a great cast —Meryl Streep,Angela Lansburyand that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] fromHamilton.
Streep wasalready revealed for a role in the filmdirected byRob Marshall(Into the Woods), but Lansbury is new. They now join a cast rounded out byColin FirthandEmily Mortimer.
Van Dyke appeared in the original film as Bert, the optimistic chimney sweep, oppositeJulie Andrewsas the eponymous Mary Poppins. Miranda, who’s also contributing musical compositions to the sequel, will take a very Bert-esque role, a lamplighter named Jack. “It’s the same position. It’s a different character,” theHamiltoncreator clarified during a previous interview withGood Morning America. He added, “I get to be around for the adventures with Mary and the kids and sing and dance and do all the fun things. It’s a new story.”
Since this takes place in the same world as the original film but with a new focus on the kids of Michael and Jane Banks, one would presume Van Dyke would come back as Bert. Although, Blunt doesn’t really look like Andrews, so anything is possible.
Mary Poppins Returnswill open in theaters on June 28, 2025.
