EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a fun one. We can reveal that a Maria Poppins A television series is in the works.
Instead of retelling the Disney movie Maria Poppins Starring 1960s Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, we understand the live-action TV adaptation plans to return to the original eight Mary Poppins books by PL Travers and open up the bigger, stranger world she created.
The Mary Poppins of the novels is often characterized as more mysterious, mercurial, and dangerous than her cinematic incarnation, and the adventures of the books are magical, surreal, and sometimes terrifying.
The series is being developed and produced by Tom Winchester for Pure Fiction Television, the independent company backed by slow horses and Stops the heart the See-Saw Films team and British talent agency Hamilton Hodell.
Winchester is developing the series on behalf of the trustees of the estate of PL Travers, from whom it has acquired the rights. We hear that very early stage talks are taking place with Disney and that Winchester is approaching top showrunners. As we understand it, the project doesn’t need Disney’s involvement from a rights perspective, but there are hopes that the studio will want to join the project given its history with intellectual property. So far nothing has been agreed on this matter. Things are still at their critical point.
Maria Poppins is rich intellectual property: Travers’ best-selling books were adapted by Disney into the Oscar-winning musical with Andrews and Van Dyke. But Travers openly criticized Disney’s vision for the 1964 film, and his consequences were the basis of the film. Saving Mr. Banks starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. Disney’s 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins Returnsstarring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by Rob Marshall, who produced the fantasy musical comedy film alongside John DeLuca and Marc Platt.
Winchester is no stranger to adapting legacy IPs. He was a producer on the first season of the Emmy-winning FX series. Shogunbased on the novel by James Clavell. He is also developing Barry Eisler’s popular 18. Juan Lluvia murderer books in a series for Apple TV.
Pure Fiction and Disney declined to comment.
Editor’s note: The Dish is a regular column for Deadline journalists to plant their flag on deals, hirings and firings, and industry developments before they’re fully prepared. The column is inspired by Mike Fleming Jr.’s former business column of the same name.