Back in September, BWW reported that legendary song and dance man Dick Van Dyke revealed to NBC’s TODAY that he has had discussions about making a cameo appearance in the highly anticipated re-imagining of MARY POPPINS. “I think they want me to come in as the old banker and sing a little song, and do a little dance, which I’d love to do,” he told Today’s Al Roker, adding “I think Julie [Andrews] may be in it it.”
In a new feature shared in The Hollywood Reporter titled “Creative Until You Die,” the legendary performer confirms the news that he has agreed to appear in the Poppins update. “This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up,” reveals the Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner. “It’s a great cast – Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] from Hamilton.” The 91-year-old goes on to share that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I think it’s the worst thing you can do,” he says. “Certain people who do retire suddenly age. I think you have to stay active.”
As previously reported, MARY POPPINS RETURNS will be helmed by Rob Marshall and will star Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Filming on the movie is already underway in London with the reboot expected to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2018. Marshall, John DeLuca, and Marc Platt will produce.
Dick Van Dyke starred in the films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the TV series The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis: Murder. He recently appeared in supporting roles in Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Recipient of five Emmys, a Tony and a Grammy, Van Dyke was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995.
He received the Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013. Van Dyke has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard and has also been recognized as a Disney Legend.
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