Is Mamma Mia 3 Actually Happening?
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1 week ago
Here they go again... maybe
It has been 16 years since the first Mamma Mia movie graced our screens, bringing Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and a whole load of other mega-stars together for an all-singing, all-dancing island extravaganza. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again followed ten years later, an equally feel-good, and even sillier film, which served as both a sequel and a prequel to the original. And now, it seems we could be getting another dose of the ABBA-inspired franchise.
Meryl Streep & Christine Baranski Tease Mamma Mia Return
There has been talk of a third Mamma Mia film for a little while now. Back in October 2023, producer Judy Craymer said a third movie definitely ‘will happen’, it’s just a matter of when. She told Variety: ‘I’m in the privileged position that I have Universal Studios wanting to do it, who I love working with, and I have a storyline.’
She added: ‘It just always takes a certain amount of time with Mamma Mia. Bjorn and Benny always take a certain amount of convincing. I don’t know how much more convincing they’re gonna have because everybody wants another film.
‘But they had ABBA Voyage and then they wanted a rest from ABBA stuff. But it will happen. We’ve done the television show and now maybe I’ll focus on the movie. Maybe that’ll be a second 25-year celebration.’
The cast, however, aren’t as keen to confirm or deny. Christine Baranski, who plays Tanya in the films, joined Jessie and Lennie Ware on a recent episode of their podcast Table Manners. She knows better than most, how quickly rumours can spiral. While she was careful not to confirm whether she would be involved, she did reveal that producer Judy Craymer is working on the next instalment, and pointed to Universal boss Donna Langley having already publicly backed a third film.
‘Well, everybody asks about it. Judy is working on it. I can only say, you know, I’ve always been reluctant to say anything because it goes viral and it spreads like brush fire […] I don’t know if it’s happening, but Donna Langley, who is, you know, the head of Universal Studios, she greenlights projects. She actually was on a red carpet saying, “Yes, there will be a Mamma Mia 3.”’
At Cannes Film Festival in 2024, Meryl Streep added further fuel to the fire, saying she’s set to meet with Craymer ‘imminently’ to discuss the project. Speaking to Deadline about the project, she said: ‘I don’t know how they’re going to do it. They have an idea. I haven’t heard it yet but it’s in [my diary] and I’m going to hear about it pretty soon. Of course I want to do it. I think folks love it.’
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Would Meryl Streep Star In Mamma Mia 3?
The question is: could they – and would they – bring Donna (played by Streep) back? Mamma Mia 2 sees Donna dead, and Sophie (Seyfried) struggling to deal with the loss of her mother. However, Craymer thinks there’s a way to revive Donna’s character. ‘There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back – and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna,’ she said in May 2023.
Apparently Streep herself has had some ideas, too. ‘I told Judy 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.’
Stranger things have happened in the Mamma Mia world – just think of that fever dream finale in the second film, which sees Streep returning as Donna’s ghost, Cher helicoptering to the Greek island to sing Fernando, and Lily James giving birth atop a mountain.
Who Else Might Star?
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Craymer thinks she could easily persuade cast members like Seyfried and Julie Walters to return for a third film. She told the Daily Star: ‘The cast had a great time making the first two films. Julie said she is going to retire from acting, but the one thing she would still do is another Mamma Mia film.’
