Mamma Mia! 3 could be on the cards, as speculation around a third movie in the ABBA-themed musical romcom from Universal Studios has been ongoing for years. The third installment in the franchise would come after Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) grapples with the death of Donna (Meryl Streep), the H๏τel’s future, and her own growing family in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The ending of the second movie left the need for a sequel with many viewers, and demand for Mamma Mia! 3 has been near-continuous since it arrived.

Even though the only discussions surrounding a third movie have consisted of rumors, there’s been plenty to suggest that attempts to get Mamma Mia! 3 moving forward have happened behind the scenes. There’s still plenty of ABBA music left for Mamma Mia! 3 too, and as far as both the cast and audiences are concerned, there’s arguably room for another successful installment in the franchise after the sequel did so well.

Most Recent Mamma Mia! 3 News

Amanda Seyfriend Discusses Mamma Mia! 3

After years with almost no concrete information, the latest news finds Amanda Seyfried shedding light on Mamma Mia! 3‘s delays. Finally offering some sort of explanation as to why the threequel isn’t here yet, Seyfried candidly mentioned that the production of Wicked and its sequel is the biggest culprit. According to Seyfried, Universal Pictures has been focusing on the blockbuster duology, and the studio prefers to work on one musical project at a time. This logic is sound, and releasing Mamma Mia! 3 while also releasing a Wicked film could siphon box office revenue from each other.

Read Seyfried’s full comments here:

Show me the money! (Laughs.) Producer Judy Craymer is always working on it, but Universal still has to release Wicked 2. The first Wicked had to stall when Mamma Mia! 2 was getting made. It’s an either/or situation with musicals. And I have this theory that Universal just knows we’re going to do it, so they’re not in any rush. And it’s just going to cost double.

Maybe [Meryl Streep is] the stall. They still haven’t figured out how to bring her back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. From what I was told, that was her choice — so maybe it’s on her to write it. (Laughs.) I’m sure she has ideas. Meryl’s a genius. But I hope they figure it out. The one day that she was on set for the last movie was when it finally felt like we were all together again.

Mamma Mia! 3 Isn’t Confirmed

The Threequel Isn’t Green-Lit Yet

Mamma Mia! 3 isn’t confirmed, but some of the cast and crew from the previous movies have hinted that it’s a possibility. In 2021 Judy Craymer, one of the producers behind both films and the original stage musical, explained (via Daily Mail) that the franchise was “meant to be a trilogy” and that the team at Universal would surely approve.

She also hinted at the possibility of new ABBA songs for Mamma Mia! 3‘s soundtrack. Christine Baranski seemed on board with the idea as well, relaying (via TODAY Show) that her fellow cast members would gladly sign on for another film since they all loved making the others. It looks like it’s not a question of if the movie will happen, but when.

Mamma Mia 3 Cast Details

Will Sophie Return In The Third Movie?

There’s no confirmed cast members yet for Mamma Mia! 3. However, since most of Mamma Mia! cast members have spoken about a sequel, it seems safe to ᴀssume that many of them would return for another movie. Meryl Streep has stated she’d be eager to return for Mamma Mia! 3. However, since Donna died in the second movie, it would be difficult to work Streep into the plot of the next installment. It’s possible that Meryl Streep could be in the cast of Mamma Mia! 3 via flashbacks, or — as Streep herself suggested — thanks to a strange plot twist like Donna having a long-lost twin sister.

With that in mind, the most logical cast of Mamma Mia! 3 would include:

Actor	Mamma Mia! Role
Amanda Seyfried	Sophie
Dominic Cooper	Sky
Pierce Brosnan	Sam
Colin Firth	Harry
Stellan Skarsgård	Bill
Julie Walters	Rosie
Christine Baranski	Tanya

Mamma Mia 3 Story Details

How Will The Story Continue?

While there’s no script for Mamma Mia! 3 yet, there are some hints at where the story could go. In Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Sophie reveals that she is pregnant and later presents her newborn son to be christened at the end of the movie. This leaves the door open for a new storyline revolving around her son without the risk of overusing the mother-daughter bond for another film.

Meryl Streep has expressed an interest in returning for Mamma Mia! 3, and the ending of the second movie did create some unanswered questions and apparent plot holes around her character. One of them being what happened during Sam and Donna’s married years, as well as why young Harry disappeared after missing one ferry to Kalokairi. Whether Mamma Mia! 3 explores any of these details or opts for something different, what’s guaranteed is that the third movie in the trilogy will feature many more ABBA songs.