‘Mary Poppins Returns’ director wants to include LGBT rights movement in new film

“Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall would love to include the LGBT rights movement in the third “Mary Poppins” film.

Marshall, who is gay, told the Advocate if he had his way the next “Mary Poppins” film would tackle LGBT rights.

“Wouldn’t that be great?” Marshall says. “Please, Lord. That’s exactly what should be happening. I’m always so aware of that, being a gay man myself. I mean, our movie takes place in the ’30s. But if it were to take place now, that’s exactly what it should be. I understand so deeply what it’s like to be on the outskirts and not feel like you are worthy. And I will say that kind of passion to explore acceptance in life is something that’s so important. And so, yes, I’d be all for that, for sure.”

In “Mary Poppins Returns,” the film featured Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer) as a labor organizer. It followed the 1964 original film which included Winifred Banks fighting for women’s voting rights.

“My intention was to create a profound film that deals with loss, that deals with not only loss of one’s mother or wife, a family member, but also deals with the loss of wonder and joy in one’s life and can’t recover that again and find that again. And so, looking for that again. I wanted to root it in a real place. That’s why Jane works for the rights of workers. This is the ’30s, the Depression era when it was the great slump. There was a sadness in the world and [Mary Poppins] needs to come back. We had to come up with a real reason for her to come back,” Marshall says.

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