Deadline has reported that streaming subscription platform Disney+ has greenlit a documentary about critically acclaimed iconic British actress, Julie Andrews (Cinderella, The Princess Diaries). The project will reportedly follow Andrews’ life through the early days of her career into the world-renown fame that audiences know today, featuring rare archival footage and new interviews.
Andrews got her start in entertainment as a child actress and singer, and gained notoriety for Broadway roles that highlighted her talent for the arts. Her film debut was in the title role of Mary Poppins for Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, followed into the next year by the role of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music, both of which entered among her most popular performance credits. She has been awarded and nominated for numerous accolades, and is also a published author of several children’s books and autobiographies about her life experiences. Most recently, she can be heard as the melodic voice of Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Produced by R.J. Cutler (If I Stay, The September Issue) and his Sony-backed production company This Machine and Cutler, Deadline highlighted how Cutler honored the cultural icon and hoped to share the story behind her career in the entertainment industry. As detailed in statement from Cutler:
“Julie Andrews is not simply a beloved performer. She is a cultural touchstone, a figure woven into the fabric of how generations of people understand joy, resilience, and grace. Most people don’t know the extraordinary challenges she’s had to overcome throughout her life, all of which we delve into in this film. To sit with Julie, to be allowed into her inner world, to watch her reflect on a life that has shaped so many other lives was an experience I will forever cherish. She gave us her full self, without armor, without pretense. And what we found was someone even more extraordinary than the icon. I am humbled by her talent, in awe of her strength and honored by her trust.”
Per Deadline, the project’s executive producer is credited as Mark Blatty (Martha, Hollywood Exes), with Elise Pearlstein (Food Inc., The Disappearance of Shere Hi), Trevor Smith (Elton John: Never Too Late, Supreme Models), Jonathan Ruane (Worst Roommate Ever, Tight & Nerdy), and James Cha Cutler (Project Runway, Dear…) as producers. It is said that the film’s premiere is set for next year, in 2027.