15 years after the release of the original, the producer of the original Mamma Mia! movie confirms that despite delays, a third installment is well on the way.
In an interview with Variety ,producer Judy Craymer revealed that Mamma Mia! 3 is in the works but some people *cough* ABBA *cough* may need a little more convincing first. “I’m sure [the third movie] will happen. 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,” said Craymer, adding that past Mamma Mia! movies also took time to come to fruition. “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.”
The original Mamma Mia! movie, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried as Donna and Sophie - the unconventional mother-daughter duo living on a rural island in Greece - is a fun and vibrant romantic-comedy slash jukebox musical adapted from the theater production of the same name created in 1999.
Way back in 2008, Craymer convinced the Swedish pop supergroup ABBA to allow her musical to utilize their back catalog, sampling songs such as Take A Chance On Me, Knowing Me Knowing You, and Dancing Queen. The band also agreed to have their tracks played in the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, starring Baby Driver’s Lily James as a young Donna.
Craymer later said that the team took a break in creating Mamma Mia 3 as she had a Mamma-Mia-themed singing competition show to make, and the band also had their hands full with their latest virtual reality residential in London, ABBA Voyage. But despite delays, the producer attests the third act will happen, stating: “We’ve done the television show and now maybe I’ll focus on the movie.” For now, it is uncertain when the new movie will hit screens but if Craymer can convince ABBA to share their musical talents once more, the sequel will be here before we know it.
Mamma Mia! is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is available to stream on Netflix right now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of the most exciting new films coming in 2023 and beyond.
