It looks like we are heading off to the Greek island ‘Kalokari’ for a third time as Meryl Steep confirms she is coming back as Donna. Seriously though, what more can this magical Greek island give us? Is it necessary for a third film?
Well, there is no official confirmation from Universal Pictures as of yet. However, the production team has spoken about the potential for a third film, and so far, so good!
The biggest teaser we have had is from Christine Baranski (who plays Tanya), in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Christine had revealed that she had dinner with Judy Craymer (producer of Mamma Mia) and she is planning a Mamma Mia 3.
I was in London with Judy Craymer at our favourite watering hole, she is planning Mamma Mia 3. She gave me the narrative plotline of how it’s going to happen. That’s all I can say!” – Christine Baranski
She also added that she “wouldn’t put it past Judy Craymer to get everybody back together.” So a third Mamma Mia film and the potential for the original cast to be in it? Pack your bags Mamma Mia fans!
Where are we in the Mamma Mia storyline?
Stop reading now if you haven’t already watched the second film because spoiler alerts are incoming!
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again explores the life of young Donna (played by Lily James), who graduates from university in Oxford with her friends Tanya (played by Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Rosie (played by Alexia Davies). Donna leaves her friends behind to begin her adventures around Europe. There she meets acquaintances Bill (played by Josh Dylan), Harry (played by Hugh Skinner), and Sam (played by Jeremy Irvine), the latter of whom she falls in love with!
In the present day, Donna’s pregnant daughter Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried) is busy renovating the hotel her mother had left her after passing away. She reunites with her mother’s old friends Tanya (played by Christine Baranski) and Rosie (played by Julie Walters). As well as reuniting with her three fathers Bill (played by Stellan Starsgård), Harry (played by Colin Firth) and Sam (played by Pierce Brosnan).
The “Goddess of Pop” Cher made an appearance as Sophie’s grandmother, Ruby Sheridan. Despite being uninvited to the party, at the end of the movie she turns up anyway. She then stuck around to support Sophie with the birth of her son Donny, alongside Sophie’s partner Sky (played by Dominic Cooper).
And voila, that is what we have been left with!
What Can They Even Put In The Third Film?
Surely there is only one storyline they can take with this third rumored film? That is Sophie’s newborn’s life and the insights to Sophie’s life growing up on the island of Kalokari.
But I say, whats the point in that?
We pretty much know all about Sophie’s life through movies one and two; her two best friends are called Ali and Lisa from the first movie. Her husband Sky, they originally were due to get married in the first Mamma Mia, but called off their wedding so they could travel together.
Sophie is named after Bill’s great-aunt ‘Sophia’. She lived on the island and became a mother figure to Donna in the absence of her actual mother, Ruby. Sophie now runs the “Hotel Bella Donna“, named in memory of her deceased mother.
Sophie now has a child called ‘Donny’ with her husband Sky. They are both continuing to live on the island bringing up their child.
What about a storyline featuring the newborn?
This is probably the most ideal route producers of Mamma Mia will take for the third film. Watching Sophie’s first child grow up on the island, learning about his parents and grandmother and the friends he will make along the way.
But a male protagonist of a predominantly female-led movie, in the way we follow Donna and Sophie’s characters, to possibly have this switch to a male, seems a little bit strange.
Don’t get me wrong, it would be incredibly interesting to have this switch but for some viewers, it might be difficult to grasp.
What About Cher Making Another Appearance?
How iconic would it be if we could see Cher on our screens again, starring as Ruby Sheridan?
We could potentially see a storyline of Cher’s character, Ruby. Her life as a young adult, when she gave birth to Donna, and why she decided to leave her. We could learn so much as an audience to why she decided to return to support Sophie, despite being in zero contact with her own child.
However, the chances of this possibly happening are very slim. Cher making a return would be iconic, and the majority of Mamma Mia fans would love this! But unfortunately, it was probably just a one-off.
So are you ready to set sail off to Greece again, or are you also staying put because what can we actually see from this third film?
