Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again star Lily James has shared her enthusiastic hopes for an entire Mamma Mia! cinematic universe. Based on the global ABBA musical hit, the first Mamma Mia! movie, released in 2008, became a widely beloved sensation, grossing over $700 million worldwide on a modest budget of $52 million. It’s no wonder the movie was given a sequel, despite the 10-year wait.
The movies star major names like Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters, and Christine Baranski, who were joined by Lily James, Cher, and Andy Garcia in 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. These musical movies are undeniably cheerful. Who can forget Firth, Skarsgård, Brosnan, and their younger counterparts dancing around in ’70s-style ABBA-inspired outfits?
During an interview with Screen Rant for her upcoming Italian period film, Finally Dawn, James, who played a younger version of Meryl Streep’s Donna in Mamma Mia‘s second outing, excitedly revealed that she’d love to see and be part of more Mamma Mia films in the future. The star even teased that she’d be interested in crafting the story for Mamma Mia! 3.
“I would do Mamma Mia 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. I think probably every single actor involved would say that without exception. It is just those rare moments in your life where something’s pure joy, and that was pure joy. So I hope they want me in it. I haven’t heard a thing.
Do you know what I feel like I did – I kind of predicted the last version of the story, so let me have a think. I think I could probably come up with Mamma Mia three. I’ll call Judy Craymer and get a writing credit or something if she won’t let me be in it.”
What Mamma Mia 3 Could Be About
Could Lily James Play A Role In A Potential Mamma Mia! Sequel?
While many of ABBA’s most popular songs have already been mined, there are still a few story opportunities for the Mamma Mia franchise. Here We Go Again spent most of its runtime in the 1970s, following James’ Donna as she met her daughter’s “three dads” during a wildly romantic summer spent in Greece. A new movie could follow Donna’s journey as she raises Sophie (Seyfried), heading into the 1980s.
Alternatively, Mamma Mia 3 could go back even further to the ’50s and ’60s, focusing on Donna’s estranged mother, Ruby (Cher), instead. It might be interesting to see more of Ruby’s and Fernando’s (Garcia) relationship and compare what life was like for Donna with Ruby versus what it was like for Sophie with Donna.
Of course, it could also simply follow Sophie’s new life as she learns to live without her mother and builds her own family.
Producer Judy Craymer has previously stated that Mamma Mia‘s story was always intended to be told in a trilogy (via Daily Mail).
Our Take On Mamma Mia 3
Should There Be Another Mamma Mia Movie?
Of course, the fact that there could be another Mamma Mia movie doesn’t necessarily mean there should be. James is right: the Mamma Mia movies are pockets of pure, unfiltered joy; they are unapologetically silly, fun, romantic, and wistful. Could the creators manage to pull that off a third time without it feeling like a trite Hollywood cash grab?
The Mamma Mia movies are pockets of pure, unfiltered joy; they are unapologetically silly, fun, romantic, and wistful.
The 10-year wait between Mamma Mia! movies worked in the sequel’s favor. Perhaps another extended hiatus could help with a potential threequel, too. Mamma Mia 3 is currently in prolonged development; if there’s a good idea for a story, Lily James and the rest of the cast’s infectious enthusiasm might just be enough to create another joyful Mamma Mia! experience.
Finally Dawn is in select theaters July 18.
