This actress is the frontrunner to play Mary Poppins

It’s time to face the facts and accept that soon, we’re going to see a brand new Mary Poppins on the big screen. Disney is revamping the practically perfect nanny, and has decided to move forward with a sequel to the movie, some 50 years later after the original. Dame Julie Andrews will not return to the starring role as Mary Poppins (AND THAT’S A CRYING SHAME), so someone new is going to have to pick up the umbrella. It’s been two days since this news was announced, and there’s already a frontrunner for the role.

The frontrunner honestly shouldn’t surprise you that much, since she’s already proven her acting chops, she can sing, and she’s got a huge connection to Andrews. According to BoyleSports, an Ireland-based online betting firm, Anne Hathway is in the lead to take over the role.

Keep in mind that BoyleSports is used to keeping tabs on bets for sporting events, and not so much for Hollywood. But their tally could be quite telling. They’ve got a 6/4 odds on Hathaway. Soon, we might see her flying through London.

Hathaway would actually be an amazing choice for the role. For starters, we know she can act, because she’s got two Oscar noms under her belt, and she’s already won one. The Oscar she won was for her role as Fantine in Les Misérables, so yeah, Hathaway can sing.

AND let’s not forget that Hathway landed her big breakout role opposite Andrews in The Princess Diaries. The two ladies go away back. AND don’t you kinda secretly want to imagine Queen Clarisse giving Princess Mia tips on how to make spoonfuls of sugar go down much easier? I know I do.

BoyleSports has odds on Amy Adams, Kristen Bell, Anna Kendrick, and Emily Blunt, too. Not too surprisingly, three out of those four women have already played some sort of Disney princess before — Adams played Giselle in Enchanted, Bell voiced Anna in Frozen, and Kendrick sang and danced as Cinderella in Into the Woods. Though Blunt hasn’t got her princess role yet, she was in Into the Woods, as The Baker’s Wife. That counts for something.

The role of Mary Poppins is still probably a long ways away from being cast, but it’s fun to think about who will ultimately snag the part. Any of the above women would be a perfect choice, among countless others out there. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how the winds change, and what singing nanny ultimately arrives on our doorstep.

(Image via Disney.)