While nothing has been officially announced, the hype surrounding Mamma Mia 3 is undeniable.
The main story of Mamma Mia! centers around a young bride who invites three men to her wedding, without knowing which one is her father.
Mamma Mia! and 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again smashed the box office, with both movies earning more than 1 billion dollars. As a result, some have claimed that a third movie is a no-brainer.
Mamma Mia 3: Will It Release?
Mamma Mia 3 isn't confirmed yet, but there have been several updates through the years.
In June 2020, Mamma Mia co-creator Judy Craymer told Daily Mail that she was supposed to start work on the threequel before the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on her plans:
"I was meant to have been getting on with that, in my head, during these months. But then I got hit with COVID fog."
Craymer ended by saying that the Mamma Mia! franchise is "meant to be a trilogy," noting, "Universal would like me to do it:"
"I think one day there will be another film because there's meant to be a trilogy, you see. I know Universal would like me to do it."
The producer's words echoed the same sentiments of Mamma Mia! director Ol Parker when she reiterated what Craymer sent to Screen Rant in December 2022:
"Judy Craymer, the genius producer behind the musical and the first two films, always plans for it to be a trilogy. That's all I can say. The first one made an enormous amount of money, and I think we made a fair amount too. I know that there is a hunger for a third, and I know that she has a plan. Wouldn't it be lovely?"
Christine Baranski, who played Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the first two movies, spoke with Entertainment Weekly in January 2022 that she'd be back in a heartbeat if the stars all aligned for a possible threequel:
"If we could go back and have the same amount of good fun and be on a Greek island together filming and dining together at night at some wonderful trattoria or taverna, I don't think anybody would give you an argument."
Lily James, who portrayed the younger version of Meryl Streep's Donna Sheridan-Carmichael, admitted to Screen Rant in February 2022 that she's "desperate" for Mamma Mia 3 to happen:
"I'm desperate for it to happen. It was like, it didn't feel real. It was so [much] fun just singing on the beach and on a boat. I don't know. Why isn't it happening? We all need it. It's been COVID. It's been terrible. Let's do 'Mamma Mia.'"
Mamma Mia! lead star Amanda Seyfried told Variety in May 2022 that she's hopeful about potentially making Mamma Mia 3. However, she said that "no one" is talking to her about it:
"I hope we do another one, but you know, no one's talking to me. I know if you ask any of the others they'll be like, 'Sure, but it's not going to happen.'"
Seyfried then pointed out to Vogue in September 2023 that there are financial constraints to bringing back an all-star cast of Mamma Mia's caliber, with the actress getting honest that it would all boil down to "whether or not Universal wants to pay the money:"
“Nobody is saying no, but nobody is saying yes either. The powers that be probably can’t afford us to be honest. I hate to say it, because would I do ‘Mamma Mia 3’ for free — of course I would — but that’s not the business we’re in. What’s fair is fair, and I feel like a third film is gonna come down to something stupid like whether or not Universal wants to pay the money.”
At this point, unless the cast decides to take a pay cut, Mamma Mia 3 appears to be more than just a fever dream instead of a reality.
Who Is in the Potential Cast of Mamma Mia 3?
If the stars aligned and Mamma Mia's all-star cast would all return, then a threequel could feature a star-studded lineup.
Amanda Seyfried could potentially lead the cast once more as Sophie Sheridan alongside an ensemble featuring Dominic Cooper as Sophie's husband, Christine Baranski as Tanya, and Julie Walters as Rosie.
Speaking as a guest in Good Morning America (via Digital Spy) in October 2022, Pierce Brosnan openly said that he's all-in if the studio decides to bring him back as Sam in a possible threequel:
"I'm in, too. Sure. It's criminal how much fun you have in that movie. I think everybody would be in... I'm sure there's some plans."
Stellan Skarsgård, who played Bill, had the same sentiment when he spoke with Digital Spy in April 2019, saying, "I wouldn't have to read the script. If they call, I'll come."
Rounding out the main trio of Sophie's fathers is Colin Firth as Harry. The actor also told Good Morning America in May 2022 that he would also return "just to see my friends again on some beautiful island:"
“I think it could happen. If you manage to make a second one, I guess you can make a third, a fourth, and a fifth. It was already a miracle. And if people want it, I would do it just to see my friends again on some beautiful island.”
But how about Meryl Streep? To recap, Streep's character, Donna, died during the events of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Still, the actress said in the same interview with Vogue in September 2023 that she has some ideas on how to bring back Donna:
"I told [producer] Judy [Craymer] if she could figure out a way to reincarnate Donna, I’m into that. Or it could be like in one of those soap operas where Donna comes back and reveals it was really her twin sister that died."
Here is a list of the potential cast members of Mamma Mia 3:
- Amanda Seyfried - Sophie Sheridan
- Dominic Cooper - Sky
- Christine Baranski - Tanya
- Julie Walters - Rosie
- Pierce Brosnan - Sam
- Stellan Skarsgård - Bill
- Colin Firth - Harry
- Meryl Streep - Donna
- Cher - Ruby Sheridan
What Is Mamma Mia 3's Possible Story?
Mamma Mia 3 could potentially pick up after the events of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
At the end of the sequel, Sophie gives birth to a baby boy while Donna watches on from afar as a ghost.
It's possible that the threequel could mainly focus on Sophie's adventures with her family and a time jump could be incorporated.
While the first two movies highlighted most of the mother-daughter bond, the follow-up could feature a fresh storyline focused on the dynamic between Sophie and her son this time around.
Mamma Mia 3 could also catch up with what the star-studded cast of characters have been up to since the sequel's ending.
In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, Christine Baranski pitched some ideas on what Tanya has gone through ever since Sophie's wedding, admitting that she may have married someone but then got divorced eventually:
"Tanya married, although by now she may be divorced. She may have gotten bored with this man."
The first two Mamma Mia movies are available for purchase on major digital platforms.
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