Mamma Mia 3: Lily James Is Desperate To Make Sequel Happen

Lily James really wants  Mamma Mia 3 to happen. James, star of the upcoming Pam & Tommy series on Hulu premiering February 4, joined the franchise with Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018 as the younger version of Meryl Streep’s Donna. Mamma Mia 3 is confirmed to be in development, but multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic have left the project’s status in limbo.

Inspired by the songs of the band ABBA, Mamma Mia! follows Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) as she contends with the relationships in her life after she marries her husband (Dominic Cooper) in the first film, and tries to reopen her late mother’s (Streep) hotel in the second film. The two films boast an impressive ensemble with Christina Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard, with Cher and Andy Garcia joining in the second movie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The story originated on stage, premiering on the West End in London in 1999 and is still running to this day.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, while promoting Pam & Tommy, James says she’s “desperate” for Mamma Mia 3 to happen and would want to reprise her role if the third film gets made. She mentions that delays due to COVID have pushed back the film’s development, and that she doesn’t know if her character will be included in the new script, but wants to appear regardless. She also talks about how unreal the process felt, expressing how fun making the film was. Read her quotes from the interview below:

I mentioned this, but I have to ask you. I know this is kind of above your control, but what do we need to do to make Mamma Mia 3 happen? 

Lily James: I’m desperate for it to happen. It was like, it didn’t feel real. It was so 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.

We need it, please.

Lily James: Please! But only If I’m in it. They probably won’t have me. It’ll probably be like, Sophie’s baby. Anyway! Let’s stop talking about it.

James isn’t the only one wanting the sequel to happen, with both Baranski and Skarsgard on the record saying they also want to make a third film. It’s also worth noting that there was a ten-year gap between the first two films, and with such a stacked ensemble, scheduling conflicts will probably push the project back even further. On the other hand, demand for movie musicals has increased since COVID shut down all the theaters, with West Side Story and Tick, Tick…Boom! both receiving Oscar buzz.

Given ABBA’s recent reunion album, Voyage (their first since 1981), the producers of Mamma Mia 3 would have fresh music from the group to write the film’s new story around. Though Mamma Mia! is responsible for popularizing the jukebox musical, a subgenre defined by contorting a story around pre-written songs, an inefficient way of writing musical stories, the musical itself remains popular with audiences, and a third film in the franchise would surely be welcomed by fans. With ABBA’s new music and more campaigning by cast members like James, Mamma Mia 3 could easily make it to theaters somewhere down the line.

About The Author