Mary Poppins Returns is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall and written by David Magee , from a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Based on the book series by P. L. Travers , this sequel to 1964's Mary Poppins stars Emily Blunt as the title character , with Lin-Manuel Miranda , Ben Whishaw , Emily Mortimer , Julie Walters , Dick Van Dyke , Angela Lansbury , Colin Firth , and Meryl Streep in supporting roles. Van Dyke is the only actor from the original to return, portraying the son of one of his original characters. Set in 1930s London, two decades after the events of the original film, it sees Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning after a family tragedy.