Lin-Manuel Miranda is so big right now that he’s verging on overexposure. Roughly a year ago, hardly anyone knew who the man was. Sure, he’d done some work a lot of us had seen without realizing (he’d done the music for Maz Kanata’s bar in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, among other things), but he wasn’t really a household name until Hamilton hit it big last year. Buzz had been circulating around that musical for some time, but it wasn’t until the album was released to the general public that it really took off.

Miranda had already done work on Disney’s Moana, but he was now a marketable name, and so began the snowball effect of his popularity. It was in 2016 that we also learned that Miranda would be involved in the Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. While the film isn’t one fans have been clamoring for (I know, shocker, right?), his involvement — along with the involvement of the likes of Emily Blunt, Ben Wishaw, Emily Mortimer, and Meryl Streep, seemed to give the project the gravitas it needed.

Given that the film isn’t set to hit for well over a year and a half, it’s not surprising that we’ve seen very little on the project since then. Last week, we got our first look at Emily Blunt as the perfect nanny, and soon after, a photo of Lin-Manuel Miranda as an optimistic lamplighter named Jack hit.

Have a look down below!

Obviously, at the end of the day, it’s just a picture, but like any picture, it brings an idea that much closer to reality. I’ve always loved Mary Poppins, and I’ve never really thought we needed a Mary Poppins sequel (Come on, of course we don’t), but as of right now, I’ve seen nothing to get worried about. Disney is on a roll, the acting talent is stellar, and they seem to be going at it with all the best intentions. We’ll just have to see if it all results in a good film. 

The synopsis for Mary Poppins Returns is below. 

“Mary Poppins Returns is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Julie Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsicalcharacters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Meryl Streep).”

Mary Poppins Returns hits theaters on December 25, 2018.

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SOURCE: Lin-Manuel Miranda Fan Site (via Twitter)