Here’s some new I hoped never to have to write: Disney are making a sequel to Mary Poppins.

While the idea of trying to recapture the magic of the Julie Andrews starrer makes me physically ill, the one saving grace of the sequel may be in the casting of the new Mary: Emily Blunt.

Emily Blunt is one of the best actresses working in film today – and she fits the criteria for PL Travers’s nanny – she’s British for a start! (I could ‘t have coped if they’d gone American) and in terms of Disney’s version, she can sing.

The sequel is being directed by Rob Marshall who previously worked with Blunt on Into The Woods, where she was one of the stand-out performers.

It’s believed the sequel will take place in the 1930s, 20 years after the original, and use elements of Travers’ eight Mary Poppins books, including the first literary sequel, Mary Poppins Comes Back.

At the moment Blunt is only in talks for the role – she’s expecting a baby this year so scheduling will need to be sorted out. But to be honest, now she’s been floated in the role I can’t imagine anyone else.

So if she does decide to star, don’t expect cameras to role for a while yet!