Mary Poppins Almost Had a Sequel That Would’ve Starred Michael Jackson

The Big Picture

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• Disney attempted to make a sequel to Mary Poppins in the 1980s based on the second book, but it was never released due to complications with casting.
• Casting the role of Mary Poppins proved to be a major challenge, as Julie Andrews declined to reprise her role and no suitable replacement could be found.
• Michael Jackson was expected to play the male lead in place of Bert, being an ice cream seller and Bert’s brother.

Despite its groundbreaking combination of live-action and animation, beloved cast, and heartwarming story, Disney’s Mary Poppins spent many decades without a sequel before Mary Poppins Returns came out in 2018. Though it is far from the only Disney classic to wait for a sequel, Mary Poppins is an interesting case. Though there are differences, the story is adapted from the writings of P. L. Travers, but there are many more books in the series that Disney’s film didn’t touch on. With the film’s popularity and more story established for the characters, it seems like a natural choice for a sequel. Obviously, the thought occurred to the studio, and Mary Poppins Returns wasn’t the first time. Long before 2018, Disney attempted to make a second Mary Poppins, but the film was never released.

In the 1980s, the studio had a script in the works based on Travers’ second book, Mary Poppins Comes Back. Travers and Brian Sibley worked on the adaption, but the project met complications in casting. Julie Andrews didn’t plan on returning as the title character, leaving a difficult role to fill, and she wasn’t the only one. Dick Van Dyke, who plays Bert the Chimneysweep, wouldn’t be in the film. His role was written out and replaced by his brother. The studio’s choice for this part was Michael Jackson. Due to a change at the studio and the inevitable casting issues in replacing Andrews, the sequel was never made, but the question of what it may have looked like is intriguing.

What Would This ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel Have Been About?

Without the film being released, there is only so much to know about the story. Yet the script’s writer, Sibley, has discussed the details of his proposed sequel. Disney was always eager to follow up the classic, suggesting many ideas, but Travers was understandably protective of her character. As a personal friend of Travers, Sibley found himself uniquely qualified to pen the sequel after she expressed willingness to work with him while rejecting Disney’s ideas. So Sibley approached his acquaintance, Roy Disney, asking for a chance to try and was quickly accepted. Sibley’s story was based on Travers’ second book, where the Banks children visit a circus in the sky, have an upside-down tea party, and meet their little sister. However, as the first film borrowed some stories from the second book in its loose adaption, Sibley had to adjust the story. However, unlike Mary Poppins Returns, it would have shown Mary in charge of young Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) once again.

Because Travers was famously wary of adaptions, Sibley was careful with the changes. His process began by listening to Travers discuss the character as he recorded her thoughts. The author also gave input on his script throughout, ending with a story that both were happy with. After listening to the author, Sibley claims to have written what he needed, but she approved of the result, making it seem like Mary Poppins would finally get its sequel, but there was plenty to go wrong.

Who Would Have Been in the 1980 ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel?

Of course, the production ran into issues early on. Twenty years after the original, casting was always going to be a problem. Julie Andrews was approached but turned down the role, and replacing the magical nanny was no small task. The children who played Jane and Micheal were no longer so young, and even Dick Van Dyke wouldn’t return. With the cast starting from scratch, it’s largely a mystery who would have been involved should this sequel have happened. Yet one actor was chosen. While the sequel wrote out Bert, it featured his bother, an ice cream seller who filled the role of Mary Poppins’ friend and admirer. Sebley recalls meeting with executives who wanted Michael Jackson for the part.

The famed singer was at the height of his popularity, and it wouldn’t have been his first musical film after his appearance in The Wiz a few years before. Certainly, he would have brought an audience, but the title of Mary Poppins would already accomplish that. No other name was attached before the film fell apart, but Jackson’s involvement is an interesting bit of trivia. Sebley was unconvinced by the choice, noting that the film took place in Edwardian London, but admits, “Maybe it would have worked – who knows?” While Michael Jackson doesn’t scream Mary Poppins, his vocals would have been good, at least.

Why Did the ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel Never Get Made?

Of course, eventually, the project was abandoned without ever seeing the light of day. The biggest issue it faced was casting, especially as replacing Julie Andrews is not an easy task. As the name implies, Mary Poppins is central to the franchise, and if she is not done right, what’s the point of making a sequel? Andrews made the character easy to love, bringing the necessary magic and charm to the role. Her portrayal of the enigmatic nanny is practically perfect, making the recasting difficult. Without Andrews, there was no obvious successor, leaving the film missing a leading lady. This was ultimately insurmountable, and, paired with changing executives at Disney, it killed this sequel.

Yet after 50 years, Mary Poppins did get a second film, Mary Poppins Returns. This sequel also had to replace Andrews, with Emily Blunt taking over the role. Recasting certainly presented a challenge, but Blunt does an admiral job as Mary. The film also writes off Bert for a new character, Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Yet the recasting of the characters is one of the few similarities between Mary Poppins Returns and the canceled sequel. Though the name is similar to the second book, the film has little to do with that story. In fact, as it features a new generation of Banks children whom Mary appears to help, the film is much like one of the sequel plots that Travers rejected before Sebley’s script. Although the Mary Poppins sequel with Micheal Jackson was never made, the concept is interesting and raises the question of what it would look like. But if this film happened, there would be no need for a sequel in 2018, so maybe it’s for the best.

Mary Poppins is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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