Anne Hathaway has offered a rather disappointing update on the development status of The Princess Diaries 3. Based on Meg Cabot's best-selling books, The Princess Diaries franchise gave Hathaway her breakout role as Mia when the first film came out in 2001. The story saw Hathaway's awkward American teenager learning through her grandmother, played by Dame Julie Andrews, that she is the heir to the throne of a European Kingdom. Hathaway and Andrews also reteamed for a sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement which came out in 2004. While both movies received mixed reviews from critics, they proved to be huge commercial successes, with the film series becoming a pop-culture staple. Now, a third Princess Diaries movie is also in the works at Disney.
In a new interview with People, Hathaway has offered the first update on The Princess Diaries 3 since it was greenlit by Disney last November. Offering some insight into why the movie was taking so long to happen, Hathaway explained that the creative process takes time while requesting audiences to be patient as they will know when the film starts to break ground. Read what Hathaway said below:
“We feel the exact same, and I know it’s probably very frustrating. It’s a process that requires patience, and so everybody should consider themselves a part of the movie business now, because this is how long it actually takes to make things.
What Do We Know About The Princess Diaries 3
With Hathaway's new update on the status of The Princess Diaries 3, specifics for the threequel continue to remain slim. Hathaway has been pushing for the movie to happen for quite a while now, yet despite Disney officially giving the film a go, the actress has not signed on to star. She remains interested in reprising her role as Mia, but an official deal is yet to be sealed. As for the other leading lady, Andrews might not return for The Princess Diaries 3. In December, the 87-year-old Golden Age actress talked about how much older she was now compared to when she first played Clarisse Renaldi, adding that it was hard to imagine what her character could look like now.
While many are excited that The Princess Diaries 3 is finally happening, some are also openly skeptical about the movie because of the lack of clarity around the story and character details. For one, original director Garry Marshall is no longer around as he passed away in 2016. Hence, there are reasonable doubts if a new helmer could recapture his filmmaking magic for the third movie. Additionally, fans are demanding that the original Princess Diaries cast to reunite for the upcoming film. Although stars like Hector Elizondo had previously expressed interest in the movie when Marshall was involved, it remains unclear if they would still like to star in the threequel now that it is happening without the original director.
With the original stars not fully onboard for The Princess Diaries 3, it makes sense why the movie takes so much time. A sequel without the legacy characters would be a big disservice to loyal viewers, while a reboot would require sensibilities and careful curation so that the element of nostalgia is not lost in the way. Considering this, casting and production cannot get underway until The Princess Diaries 3 script is perfected. Cracking the right story that honors the franchise is, as Hathaway acknowledged, a whole process. But considering the talent attached to the new movie, the new team can be trusted to come up with fresh ideas and be respectful of the saga that came before.
Source: People