Just as it kicks off shooting under the direction of John Lee Hancock, Disney has announced two new cast members for Saving Mr Banks. Step forward Rachel Griffiths and Kathy Baker.
Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are starring in the film, which chronicles how Walt Disney (Hanks) spent 14 long years convincing author PL Travers (Thompson) to sell him the rights to her books about magic nanny Mary Poppins.
The result was, of course, the beloved Bank Holiday classic – though Travers was apparently disgusted by the finished project (and not just Dick Van Dyke’s accent), and refused to allow any further adaptations.
Since the Mr Banks character in the books was based on Travers’ time with her own father, the film will split between the “present day” of the 1950s & 60s and flashbacks to Travers’ youth, with Colin Farrell and Ruth Wilson as her parents and Griffiths as her aunt, who served as the inspiration for Poppins.
Baker, meanwhile, will be playing an associate of Disney. Also aboard are Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Giamatti and BJ Novak.
Working from a script by Kelly Marcel, Hancock will be shooting at Disney and Disneyland itself for the next couple of months.
Griffiths has spent most of the last few years acting on US TV drama Brothers & Sisters, which ended last year. Baker was last seen in Big Miracle.