Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest-ID-79358.asp" target="_blank"><b>Latest: Disney Nearing Deal for Film Based on Walt's 14-Year Effort to Secure Rights to Mary Poppi</b></a> <p>In one of the more interesting stories I've read in a while, Deadline.com reports Disney has acquired a script called "Saving Mr. Banks" about the very long process of convincing Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to sell the rights to make a movie based on Mary Poppins to Disney. Actors being considered are Tom Hanks for Walt Disney and Meryl Streep as P.L. Travers. I can't wait ot see this one!</p>
Originally Posted By oc_dean Very interesting! Is this the very first time an actor will portray Walt? How would they do early scenes of Disneyland? My guess is they have to go to rides and areas that have not changed much since the 1950s to early 60s. And when you think about it .. there is not a lot. CGI? Create entire sets on a parcel of land? And interiors in Soundstages?
Originally Posted By mawnck "The Devil Wears Pearlie" I'm sure Meryl will be wonderful, but why not Julie Andrews as P. L. Travers? (And while they're at it, maybe Anne Hathaway as Julie Andrews!) Anyhoo, I've been pooh-poohing a Walt Disney biopic as too boring for any real audience to sit through, but THIS sounds like it has potential.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I think your Anne H. as Julie ... and Julie as PL Travers is a BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT idea!! It's established Anne and Julie have a good working rapport with one another ... with the two Princess Diaries films.
Originally Posted By danyoung I wonder if the story will be told of how Ms. Travers didn't like a lot of the material being shot, and really didn't like the casting of Dick Van Dyke, a YANK, as Bert. Supposedly Walt continued to tell her all through production that they would be making changes later, but for now they needed to get on with production. On opening night Ms. Travers was reported to ask Walt when they would be starting the re-shoot and re-edit, and Walt responded something like "Madam, I have made the movie I wanted to make", and that was the end of it. I've had a deep interest in Walt, his life and his career. Hew did a lot of things right, but I've always thought that this wasn't one of them.
Originally Posted By basil fan I read that she hated the animated sequences and wanted them out of the picture.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <I"ve had a deep interest in Walt, his life and his career. Hew did a lot of things right, but I've always thought that this wasn't one of them.> Are you saying that you don't like Mary Poppins?
Originally Posted By danyoung >Are you saying that you don't like Mary Poppins?< No no NO! I LOVE Mary Poppins! The failure I was talking about was Walt's treatment of PL Travers, not the movie itself.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Thanks for clarifying, danyoung. Mary Poppins happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time, so was interested in hearing a opposing view. The story that I have heard over the years is that P.L. Travers was an absolute nightmare to work with. It seems like the Sherman Brothers even have a few stories of that time and how hard she was to deal with. That said, Walt Disney was not the easiest person to work with or for, either, so who knows?
Originally Posted By mawnck >>The story that I have heard over the years is that P.L. Travers was an absolute nightmare to work with.<< Yep. And by all reports, if she'd had her way, the movie would've been unwatchable. Among the things she objected to were using original songs in the movie (she wanted actual hits from the Edwardian era), and turning Mary Poppins into a young, nice character as opposed to the intimidating old biddy from the books. At the premiere, she went up to Walt and demanded that the animated scenes be removed, which is when Walt told her, in so many words, to stuff it. Some more of her problems with the movie can be found in a letter she wrote, scanned here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brian_sibley/5838819473/in/photostream/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/b...ostream/</a> By the way ... the reason the Sherman Brothers weren't permitted to do any songs for the stage musical, was that P.L. forbade (1) Americans, and (2) anyone involved in the production of the movie, to have any creative input.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it would be a commercial success. I just don't see a big demand from the public for this sort of thing. And with the actors named, it would be a huge affair, and just couldn't ever make back its production budget. People like us would love it, but I think the general public would care about going to a theater to see this as much as they cared about Mars Needs Moms. It could make a great 60 or 90 minute TV documentary though!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I disagree, no one really cared about a royal speech impediment but it make one heck of a good movie.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Yeah, I sort of agree with Autopia Deb. Who would have imagined that a movie about James Barrie and his creation of the "Peter Pan" stories would be interesting. Yet, "Finding Neverland" starred Johnny Depp, and is very well written, acted and well-received.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I think it could be an interesting behind-the-scenes movie. Probably pretty funny, too. It's remains an enormously popular movie to this day, and I think interest in the backstory of what it took to get made would be appealing to a wide audience. Better than my script for the exciting backstory in the production of "One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing" anyway. No studio will touch it... too controversial to this day.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it would be a commercial success.<< P.L. was, by many accounts, entertainingly bonkers (at least for those watching from a safe distance). And while telling the story, they'll get to regurgitate as much of the Mary Poppins movie - including the classic Sherman Brothers score - as they want. Can't you just see the scene of the Shermans playing "Feed the Birds" for Walt? I bet it'll be in the trailer! Toss in Meryl Streep (basically reprising her "Devil Wears Prada" role), Tom Hanks, and some talented folks to play the cast of the original film, and I think I could make a good case for Joe Sixpack to want to see this thing. The reason I never thought a biopic about Walt Disney would work is that there's no specific villain, nobody interesting that he's "up against". Throw in P. L. Travers, though, and you've got yourself a movie. Not to mention one hell of a promotion for the Mary Poppins Blu Ray that you KNOW is coming. ;-)
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>The reason I never thought a biopic about Walt Disney would work is that there's no specific villain, nobody interesting that he's "up against".<< Charles Mintz! Bankers! Naysayers!
