海角大神

Countless children and adults know the story of stern nanny Mary Poppins, her bottomless carpetbag, and the magic she brings to the lives of Victorian children Jane and Michael Banks.

But how did the children鈥檚 novel get to the screen? It turns out it was a somewhat arduous journey.聽

And that process is the subject of the film 鈥淪aving Mr. Banks,鈥� which opened in wide release on Dec. 20. 鈥淣anny McPhee鈥� actress Emma Thompson portrays 鈥淧oppins鈥� author P.L. Travers, who is reluctant to have her work put on the screen. 鈥淐aptain Phillips鈥� actor Tom Hanks portrays Walt Disney, who鈥檚 hoping to persuade the author to allow her story to be filmed by his studio.

The cast also includes 鈥淭he Office鈥� actor B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman of 鈥淢oonrise Kingdom鈥� as the Sherman Brothers, who were behind the music for 鈥淧oppins,鈥� as well as actor Bradley Cooper as 鈥淧oppins鈥� screenwriter Don DaGradi and Paul Giamatti as Travers鈥� limo driver. 鈥淔right Night鈥� actor Colin Farrell plays Travers鈥� father, seen in flashbacks.

Hanks told USA Today that playing such an internationally recognized figure wasn鈥檛 easy.

鈥淚mmediately it just becomes this burden, the quest for authenticity,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, Thompson said she was attracted to Travers鈥� prickly nature.

鈥淚 loved the fact that she was so rude to everyone,鈥� she told USA Today. 鈥淚 like unpleasant people very much sometimes, especially difficult, strong women.鈥�

Meanwhile, the movie is already earning awards-season buzz as a possible contender for major prizes such as Best Picture, Best Actor (Hanks), and Best Actress (Thompson) at the Oscars. Thompson already earned a nod for the film from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which are often a guide to what will win later in the season. Hanks missed out on a Best Actor nomination but may be splitting his own vote with his work in this year鈥檚 film 鈥淐aptain Phillips.鈥�