Mamma Mia! Pierce Brosnan tunes up

Forget every actor really wanting to direct. It would seem that these days, they all just want to sing.

And while Pierce Brosnan isn’t going as far as John “in drag” Travolta, he has just signed on to star opposite Meryl Streep in the film version of ABBA musical Mamma Mia.

The plot finds a young woman convincing the three men she believes might be her father to come to Greece and meet her mother (Streep).

It’s not the first time he’s sung in his career – he belted out a few tunes in Evelyn and has been known in the past for signing on stage, but this will be his first lead in a musical. He’s playing Sam, one of the possible fathers.

"I said yes right away because it meant working with Meryl Streep," Brosnan told Variety. "Secondly, I saw the show with my family in London, and found it just so wonderfully happy and joyful, and so pitched in time forever in the 1970s. What a kick in the pants, to be able to go off and spend time with Meryl on some Greek island, singing ABBA songs."

Phyllida Lloyd, a veteran director of the stage version, will call the shots starting this June in Greece and London.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Comedy Movies
John Cena in Barbie
John Cena comedy Coyote Vs. Acme might come out after all, over a year after it was controversially shelved
Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2
29 years later, Happy Gilmore 2 trailer sees Adam Sandler return to the course with familiar faces – and confirms release date
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera in Superbad
Seth Rogen says Sony wouldn't let Jonah Hill use a PlayStation in Superbad as his character was too "reprehensible": "They're like, 'We can't have him interact with our products'"
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in Freakier Friday
Freaky Friday 2 trailer promises more body-swap hilarity from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in long-awaited sequel
Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice 2 star Jenna Ortega would love to star in another classic horror comedy franchise: Gremlins
This is Spinal Tap
First Spinal Tap 2 teaser reveals release date for comedy sequel that’s over 40 years in the making
Latest in News
Chris Hemsworth's name on the back of a director's chair
Marvel Entertainment reveal live blog
Halloween director John Carpenter
15 years on from his last horror movie, Halloween's John Carpenter says he'd "love to direct again" – but he has one condition
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a hunter battling a congalala
If you missed the last one, the new Monster Hunter Wilds event quest is another way to stock up on rare ingredients before the big update drops next week
The cast of Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer admits James Gunn has good reason not to release his cut of Suicide Squad, but he remains hopeful it'll happen
Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka
A Star Wars actor just quietly confirmed that filming has begun on Ahsoka season 2
Mario
A surprise bonus Nintendo Direct is coming a week early: "There will be no updates about Nintendo Switch 2 during this presentation"