Julie Andrews won't appear in 'Mary Poppins Returns'

Actress Julie Andrews doesn't want to make an appearance in the film, according to director Rob Marshall.

The 81-year-old actress, who played the magical nanny in the 1964 musical fantasy film, is backing the forthcoming project and is pleased that Marshall has chosen Emily Blunt to portray the leading role because she thinks she's amazing, reported Entertainment Weekly.

Marshall said, "Julie was incredibly gracious. We talked about it in a very general way but she made it clear right up front. She said, 'This is Emily's show, and I really want it to be Emily's show. I don't want it to be, 'Oh, here comes that Mary Poppins. I don't want that.' I really want her to take this and run with it, because she will be brilliant.

"Julie will always be, for me and for everybody, the most astonishing performance as Mary Poppins, winning the Oscar and bursting onto the scene so brilliantly. But Emily is the perfect person to carry the torch, and I know Julie feels the exact same way."

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)