Julie Andrews is my Queen

Netflix is taking aim at “Sesame Street’s” turf in a deal with Julie Andrews and the Jim Henson Co. for a live-action series about the arts aimed at the preschool demo.

“Julie’s Greenroom” is designed to introduce pint-size viewers to various aspects of the performing arts. Andrews will play the leader of a performing arts company who works with a host of new puppet characters created by the Henson Co.

The series, which began lensing in New York last month, will feature original music and guest stars including Alec Baldwin, Sara Bareilles, Joshua Bell, Tituss Burgess, Carol Burnett, Chris Colfer, Robert Fairchild, Josh Groban, David Hyde Pierce, Bill Irwin, Ellie Kemper and Idina Menzel. Netflix has ordered 13 half-hour episodes that are set to debut early next year.

“Julie, sensing my nerves, took hold of my hand and held it throughout the session. It must have taken her days to recover the use of it afterwards, I had squeezed so hard. No matter how diligently I’d slugged away at my lessons, I was still untrained as a singer.”

Emily Blunt in talks to star in Disney’s Mary Poppins sequel

Rob Marshall is directing the new untitled movie, which will be set some 20 years after the tale in the first film that starred Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke. It will also take its cues from the book series that P.L. Travers wrote. (The original Mary Poppins pic was based largely on the first book, published in 1934; the last book in the series was released in 1988.)

Marshall is producing with Marc Platt and John DeLuca. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will be composing original songs and an all-new score. David Magee is attached to write the screenplay.

Drawing from the wealth of material in Travers’ additional seven novels, Disney and Marshall are developing a brand-new live-action musical.

The story is set in Depression-era London and revolves around a now-grown Michael Banks, who has children of his own. In tough times, big sister Jane returns and soon after, their beloved Mary Poppins comes back to help.