To read more about Mary Poppins Returns, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy it here now. It’s no secret that all nannies are compared to one single, supernaturally-inclined doyenne of discipline who flew in on the eastern wind in 1964. The iconic character has stayed in the hearts of moviegoers in the decades since she first burst onto the screen — and now, she’s back. Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns (in theaters Christmas 2018) might be one of the highest-profile sequels ever attempted, more than half a century after Walt Disney’s cinematic classic immortalized the careers of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, smashed records, got a word in the dictionary (guess which one) and become one of the most cherished films of all time. This time, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) leads Michael’s wayward children (and Jane and Michael themselves) on a series of unbelievable adventures — to the top of Big Ben, the bottom of the ocean, into magical encounters with animated dancing penguins and upside-down cousins (hey, Meryl Streep!). If anyone can help this family find the light they’ve lost, it’s Mary Poppins. The complete article can be read over at Entertainment Weekly and a first on-set picture can be found in the photo gallery.

According to Variety, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Matthew Rhys, Bradley Whitford, Carrie Coon, Jesse Plemons, David Cross, Alison Brie, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Zach Woods have joined the ensemble of Steven Spielberg’s “The Papers,” which already stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. The film centers on the Washington Post’s decision to publish the classified Pentagon Papers in 1971. Formerly known as “The Post,” the movie is a co-production between Amblin Entertainment and Fox. The film has been fast-tracked with the hope of making this year’s awards season race, with production already underway. The movie will see a limited release on Dec. 22 and go wide on Jan. 12, 2018. Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures purchased the spec from Liz Hannah last fall, with Pascal on board to produce along with Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger. Rachel O’Connor will executive produce with Star Thrower Entertainment’s Tim and Trevor White, and Adam Somner. The pic will be co-financed by Fox and Amblin Entertainment. Fox will handle domestic distribution; international will be Amblin, through its output deals with Universal, eOne, Reliance, and others. The Pentagon Papers made headlines prior to publication when the Post’s editor Ben Bradlee and publisher Kay Graham challenged the federal government over their right to publish them. Together, the two formed an unlikely team, as they were forced to come together and make the bold decision to support The New York Times and fight the Nixon Adminstration’s unprecedented attempt to restrict the first amendment. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

Today, Variety brings us some surprising, very unexpected news. Universal is officially moving along on a sequel to the 2008 hit “Mamma Mia,” with “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” scribe Ol Parker writing and directing the new movie. The studio also dated the film, titled “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!,” for July 20, 2018. Playtone Pictures, which produced the first pic, is back on for the sequel. Universal has been bouncing around ideas for years on how to proceed with the box office smash. Sources say that one angle could focus on Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan characters years before the original takes place. The first film is based on the iconic musical about a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular ’70s group Abba. The sequel will feature Abba songs not featured in the 2008 movie, “along with some reprised favorites,” according to the studio’s announcement. Littlestar’s Judy Craymer and Playtone’s Gary Goetzman, who produced the original, will reteam for the sequel. Craymer is also the creator and producer of the stage musical. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are aboard again to provide music and lyrics and serve as executive producers. Parker is best known for writing both “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies.

Sad news today. Jonathan Demme, best known for directed “The Silence of the Lambs”, for which he won a Best Director Academy Award, has died at 73. Meryl Streep has spoken out on the passing of filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who directed the Oscar winner in 2015’s rocker comedy, “Ricki and the Flash.” In a statement provided to TheWrap, Streep praised Demme as: “A big hearted, big tent, compassionate man- in full embrace in his life of people in need- and of the potential of art, music, poetry and film to fill that need- a big loss to the caring world.” Demme died Wednesday in New York of esophageal cancer and complications from heart disease. He was originally treated for the disease in 2010, but suffered from a recurrence in 2015. His condition deteriorated in recent weeks leading to his passing. In “Ricki and the Flash,” Streep played an aging rocker coming to terms and dealing with the reconciliation of her music life and her family life. “Juno” Oscar winner Diablo Cody wrote the screenplay. Streep sung and played guitar live for the role. Her and Demme were friends prior to making “Ricki the Flash.” Demme’s other credits include “Philadelphia,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Melvin and Howard,” “Swing Shift” and “Something Wild.”

Steven Spielberg’s upcoming “The Post” (which seems to be a working title) hasn’t even started filming, but has already snagged the most prominent release date for the 2018 awards season. Here’s news on the film courtesy Sascha Stone’s AwardsDaily: This election year is reminiscent of both the 1968-1972 political atmosphere, and it is also similar to WWII – where there was global upheaval like we’re seeing here and all over Europe. Nixon was a secretive president – on the level of Donald Trump, which was probably why it took Deep Throat (Mark Felt) to blow the whistle on his illegal activities. Felt was a republican. Both Edward Snowden and Julian Assange fancy themselves on the level of Daniel Ellsberg but indeed both are great pretenders out of notoriety, with little or no care for consequences. Ellsberg, however, helped reveal to the American people information they needed to know about the Vietnam war. Spielberg’s film stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and is going to cause Breitbart Generation to flip out. Expect much backlash. Variety reported the story, saying the film is getting a December 22 release date. It will likely be screened well before then – I hope it goes to Telluride. Then it has a better shot at winning Best Picture. The heavyweights this year are already starting to stack up – with Dunkirk, of course, right at the top of the list. Steven Spielberg’s untitled Pentagon Papers drama announced itself as a major awards season contender in this year’s Oscars race.

Meryl Streep is among a host of celebrity narrators on Sheila Nevin’s “You Don’t Look Your Age: And Other Fairy Tales”. The famed documentary producer and President of HBO Documentary Films for over 30 years, Nevins has rightfully been credited with creating the documentary rebirth) finally steps out from behind the camera and takes her place front and center. In the spoken version of her book, you will hear about the real life challenges of being a woman in a man’s world, what it means to be a working mother, what it’s like to be an older woman in a youth-obsessed culture, the sometimes changing, often sweet truth about marriages, what being a feminist really means, and that you are in good company if your adult children don’t return your phone calls. Among the powerhouse voices are Cynthia Adler, Alan Alda, Bob Balaban, Christine Baranski, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Katie Couric, John Henry Cox, Blythe Danner, Lena Dunham, Edie Falco, Tovah Feldshuh, Diane von Furstenberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Diane Lane, Sandra Lee, Judith Light, Jenna Lyons, Audra McDonald, Janet Mock, Sheila Nevins, Rosie O’Donnell, Jean Richards, RuPaul, Liz Smith, Lesley Stahl, Gloria Steinem, Martha Stewart, Meryl Streep, Marlo Thomas, Lily Tomlin, and Gloria Vanderbilt. “You Don’t Look Your Age: And Other Fairy Tales” will be released on May 2 by Macmillan Audio and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

According to Deadline, “The Post will be hitting theaters much sooner than we have thought. Steven Spielberg only said yes this past Monday to direct Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in the Fox/Amblin co-production and they’ve all been clearing their schedules to start production in late May. Deals are still being finalized, but that means the film will be ready for release to qualify for this coming Oscar season. As AwardsWatch continues in a second artice, Spielberg was prepping The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara for a 2017 release (and was heavily predicted by the Gold Rush Gang in those first predictions) and is in post- production on Ready Player One (set for March 2018). That opens up the schedules of Mark Rylance and Oscar Isaac, both set to star in Mortara (but also opens up their Oscar chances in other 2017 films). Hanks was ready to start the WWII thriller Greyhound but now that’s pushed back. This marks Hanks’s fifth collaboration with Spielberg. Streep is currently filming Mary Poppins Returns in London but will be long finished by the time The Post begins. Many thanks once again to Frank for the heads-up.

In January, Meryl Streep has lent her voice to the online platform “Now This” tribute video to 100 Years Of Women’s Health Care At Planned Parenthood – “the little-known history behind America’s most famous health care provider” and its trailblazer Margaret Sanger. Additional voices are provided by Jennifer Lawrence, Mindy Kaling, Amy Schumer, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Lena Dunham, who also co-directed the video with Natalie Berkus, Kirsten Lepore and Alex Ronan. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks will share the screen together for the first time in the upcoming drama “The Post”, about the Washington Post‘s role in unveiling the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Deadline, which first reported the news, indicates renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg will helm the film, though representatives for the director did not immediately return EW’s request for comment. The publication also notes the planned production’s spec script, by Liz Hannah, revolves around editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) and his publisher, Katharine Graham (Streep), as they railed against the federal government’s opposition to the Post‘s rights to publish the documents, which detailed the country’s questionable military actions and political maneuvers in Vietnam. Fox and Amblin Entertainment will reportedly co-finance production, with the former handling domestic distribution. The Post marks Spielberg’s fifth collaboration with Hanks, following Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Bridge of Spies. Streep previously voiced the Blue Fairy character in the director’s sci-fi flick A.I.: Artificial Intelligence in 2001. Further details regarding the film, including a release date and production timeline, have yet to be announced.

A new trailer released on Tuesday reveals that Meryl Streep narrated the three-part docuseries, which is adapted from Mark Harris’ book of the same name and features interviews with Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Greengrass, and Lawrence Kasdan. Directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau and written by Harris, Five Came Back offers a deep dive into Hollywood’s role in World War II by following five filmmakers who travelled to Europe to document the war effort: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. In the process of making the series, Bouzereau and his team collected over 100 hours of archival and newsreel footage; watched over 40 films from the five directors; and studied an additional 50 studio films and over 30 hours of outtakes and raw footage from their war films. “Five Came Back” debuts March 31 on Netflix. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.