Colin Firth in negotiations to star in Mary Poppins sequel

Colin Firth could join Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep in Disney’s Mary Poppins sequel.

The actor has been offered the role of William Weatherall Wilkins, the president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, and is in negotiations with Disney, according to a report by Variety.

Blunt has already been confirmed for the role of the magical nanny, and actors Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer will also star in the film. Streep is to play Poppins' cousin.

The plot will be set 25 years after the original, when the now fully grown Banks kids receive an unexpected visit from the nanny.

The film will be will be directed by Rob Marshall, the man behind the lens of other Disney blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the 2014 fairy tale adventure Into the Woods.

Firth most recently appeared alongside Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Baby and is due to star in another sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which is due out next year.

Mary Poppins Returns would be Firth and Blunt's second collaboration, having previously starred as travelling companions in Arthur Newman.

The film is set to premiere in Christmas 2018.