It’s time to whip out your dancing shoes and disco wear because a third Mamma Mia! movie has been officially confirmed.
The much-loved musical jukebox movie has amassed a cult following since it was released in 2008, its 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again becoming equally beloved in the five years since its release.
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But now, an extremely surprising source has shed new light on the hotly anticipated third film, which has long been speculated about.
British comedian Alan Carr made an appearance on Capital Breakfast’s breakfast program to discuss his new reality competition show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, which was created to discover the “next Sophie” for the official Mamma Mia! musical on London’s West End.
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When quizzed about the program by presenters Chris Stark and Sian Welby, Alan made the surprise admission that planning for the third film was well and truly underway – and that he would have a starring role!
“Judy Cramer, the producer has said that I’m going to be in Mamma Mia 3, yes, and she said this and we did a press conference and I said ‘say it say it’ cause she’d had a few wines when she said it so I wanted her to say it in front of all the press.”
“I’m going to Hollywood baby!” he added with excitement.
Judy herself has made mention of a third film in a recent interview with Variety, teasing that the 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,” she shared.
“Bjorn and Benny [of ABBA] always take a certain amount of convincing. I don’t know how much more convincing they’re gonna have because everybody wants another film.”
She echoed these dreams for the future in another 2023 interview, this time with Deadline.
“I don’t want to over-egg it, but I know there’s a trilogy there. There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back – and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna.”
Sadly, however, Amanda Seyfried, who plays Sophie in both films said that the idea of a third film had the potential to be rather “ridiculous.”
“I feel there is enough ABBA music for sure,” she told Entertainment Weekly, “but I’m going to say the same thing I said ten years ago – I don’t f***ing think so. It seems like it would be ridiculous. But now anything can happen!”
“The only thing is, I would be worried the studio would only make it to make money, and with Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I know that’s not the case,” she added.
This isn’t the first time Amanda has spoken out in support of another movie, revealing she’d rather have a third film rather than a third child during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in April 2021.
“Definitely third Mamma Mia, definitely no third child,” she joked.
“If it was up to me, yes, of course, there would be eight Mamma Mias. Do you know how much fun that is?”
Then in May 2022, Amanda said she didn’t even care about the plot, she just wanted to get the gang back together.
“The plot doesn’t even matter at this point. ABBA has got new songs, throw them in there, and get the cast back together again.”
“Meryl [Streep] absolutely would come back for the entirety of it,” she added.
“Listen – it’s very indulgent for us. We just want to go back to Greece and dance around. And then people love that so, you know, we would be doing a service to ourselves and to the fans.”
Christine Baranski, who plays Tanya said if a third film were to be made, “they’d better not wait ten years” – referencing the decade-long gap between the first and second movie.
“I hope if they are deciding to do it, it better be soon because a lot of us are not getting any younger,” Christine also shared with Today’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager in April 2021.
“We don’t want to be singing and dancing [and] needing a walker. We all want a Mamma Mia! 3 because we have so much fun making these movies. Both movies were two joyous experiences.”
Pierce Brosnan, who portrayed Sam in the films agreed: “Maybe next year we should do it,” he joked to E! News in May 2023, “There’s such love and joy to it. There’s a story to be told, I’m sure.”
Meryl Streep is also keen to return, despite her character being killed off for the 2018 sequel.
“I’m up for anything…I told [our producer] Judy if she could figure out a way to reincarnate Donna, I’m into that. Or it could be like in one of those soap operas where Donna comes back and reveals it was really her twin sister that died,” she shared with Vogue.
“We may have to call it Grand-Mamma Mia! by the time we make it!” she then joked.
