Tom Hanks is Walt Disney in SAVING MR. BANKS

Emma Thompson also up for role.

He was rumoured to be in line for the part, now Variety has confirmation. Tom Hanks (‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’) is in talks to portray Walt Disney in ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ a “making-of Mary Poppins” that has John Lee Hancock (‘The Blind Side’) in the director’s chair.

Penned by Kelly Marcel, the Black List script tells the saga of how Walt Disney spent 14 years courting ‘‘Mary Poppins’ scribe P.L. Travers for the film rights to the character, played by Julie Andrews in the 1964 classic.

Emma Thompson (‘Men in Black 3,’ ‘Brave’) is negotiating for the role of Travers, who was displeased with the adaptation of her work, especially the animated sequences.