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Summary

  • Speculation about a third Mamma Mia! movie has been ongoing for years, and the ending of the second movie left viewers wanting more.
  • The cast, including Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried, have expressed interest in a sequel, although fair salaries for the cast may be a deciding factor.
  • While Mamma Mia! 3 is not officially confirmed, the producers behind the franchise have hinted at the possibility of a third film and new ABBA songs being included.

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 hotel'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

Donna, Tanya and Rosie dancing and singing on a bar in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The most recent news on Mamma Mia! 3 have come from the cast, who’ve almost all publicly discussed a third Mamma Mia! movie in the time since Here We Go Again’s release. Meryl Streep discussed returning to the franchise in the next installment (despite here character’s death), and it seems the Holly veteran would gladly return for a sequel.

“I’m up for anything. I’ll have to schedule a knee scoping before we film, but if there’s an idea that excites me, I’m totally there. I told Judy if she could figure out a way to reincarnate Donna, I’m into that,” Streep revealed in a 2023 interview with Vogue, “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. [...] We may have to call it Grand-Mamma Mia! by the time we make it!”

Co-star Amanda Seyfried gave her own Mamma Mia! 3 update in 2023 too, although hers was a little bit more candid. Speaking to Variety in September, Seyfried revealed that the chances of a new Mamma Mia! movie likely hinge on Universal being able to provide fair salaries for the cast. “Nobody is saying no, but nobody is saying yes either,” Seyfried said. “The powers that be probably can’t afford us to be honest.”

It’s worth noting that Seyfried wasn’t dismissing the idea of participating in Mamma Mia! 3 at all, nor was she trying to insinuate she was underpaid for the previous two movies. She was quick to add “I hate to say it, because would I do ‘Mamma Mia 3’ for free — of course I would — but that’s not the business we’re in. What’s fair is fair, and I feel like a third film is gonna come down to something stupid like whether or not Universal wants to pay the money.”

Related: Mamma Mia 3: Cast Address Sequel Hopes, Reveal ABBA's Opinion On A New Movie

Mamma Mia 3 Isn’t Confirmed

Donna, Tanya, and Rosie singing with a group behind them in Mamma Mia

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

Sky and Sophie on the beach in Lay All Your Love On Me in Mamma Mia

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 assume that many of them would return for another movie, and the cast of Mamma Mia! 3 would include:

  • Amanda Seyfriend as Sophie
  • Dominic Cooper as Sky
  • Pierce Brosnan as Sam
  • Colin Firth as Harry
  • Stellan Skarsgård as Bill
  • Julie Walters as Rosie
  • Christine Baranski as Tanya
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.

Mamma Mia 3 Plot

Donna painting Sophies nails in Mamma Mia

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.