Mary Poppins could be heading back to the screen in a new live-action TV series, but this version is expected to look very different from the Disney films most audiences know. The project is currently in development at Pure Fiction Television, with producer Tom Winchester working on the series on behalf of the trustees of the P. L. Travers estate. Rather than recreating the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews or 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns with Emily Blunt, the plan is to return to Travers’ original eight books and explore the stranger, darker and sometimes frightening world found in the novels.

What Will the New Mary Poppins Series Be Like?

The Mary Poppins of Travers’ books is often described as more mysterious, unpredictable and dangerous than the character seen in the Disney films, and the stories themselves contain plenty of unusual and surreal moments. The proposed series would draw more heavily from that version of the character and open up parts of Travers’ world that have never appeared on screen.

That could also introduce characters left out of the films, including Neleus, a statue brought to life by Mary, and Orion, who comes down from the sky to visit her. Miss Andrew, the strict former nanny of the Banks children who appeared in the stage musical, is another character from the books who could potentially feature.

Is Disney Involved in the Mary Poppins TV Series?

The project is still at the pitch stage, so there is a long way to go before it reaches television. Early conversations are reportedly taking place with Disney, although nothing has been agreed and the series does not require the studio’s involvement from a rights perspective.

Winchester has optioned the television rights through the P. L. Travers estate and is also approaching potential showrunners for the adaptation. He previously worked as a producer on the first season of Shōgun and is also developing Barry Eisler’s John Rain novels as a series for Apple TV.

How Different Were the Original Mary Poppins Books?

Travers first published Mary Poppins in 1934 and eventually wrote eight books featuring the character. Although Disney’s film became the version most audiences know, Travers famously had reservations about the adaptation and some of the changes made to her work. The books contain a much broader mythology than the films, with magical events that can become eerie or unsettling alongside the more playful adventures. That gives a television adaptation considerably more material to explore beyond the familiar songs, characters and stories from the Disney versions.

For CultureCues, we grew up with Mary Poppins, so the idea of seeing a completely different side of the character is really interesting. Julie Andrews will always be our Mary Poppins, and we loved Emily Blunt stepping into the role too, but going back to the stranger and darker parts of Travers’ books could make this adaptation stand on its own. There is a lot from those stories that has never made it to the screen, and we are very interested to see just how dark they are willing to take it. Practically perfect? We’ll have to wait and see.

The new Mary Poppins TV series is currently in early development.

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