Summary
- The producer of Mamma Mia! is optimistic that a third movie will happen because everyone wants it, but she has been busy with a reality show and ABBA members are focused on their reunion album.
- Universal Studios is on board for a third Mamma Mia! movie and the producer has a storyline in mind, but it could take time to convince ABBA songwriters and producers Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.
- With the television show completed, the producer may now shift her focus to the movie, potentially celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mamma Mia! with its release.
Mamma Mia! 3 has gotten a majorly optimistic update from one of its primary producers. The original 2008 smash hit movie Mamma Mia! was based on the jukebox musical of the same name, which used music from the ABBA songbook to bring to life the story of Sophie, a young woman who invites her three possible fathers to her wedding unbeknownst to her mother Donna. In 2018, the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again paralleled flashbacks to Donna’s time as a college graduate and expectant mother with scenes from Sophie’s present-day life.
Variety recently sat down for an interview with producer Judy Craymer to discuss her new reality show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, in which contestants compete to earn lead roles in Mamma Mia! on the West End. During their conversation, she discussed the possibility of a third Mamma Mia! movie. She says she’s “sure” it will happen because “everybody wants another film,” but she was tied up with the reality show and ABBA songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (who are also producers on the movies) were busy with the ABBA reunion album Voyage. Read her full quote below:
I am so hands on with everything that I can only do so much. So the TV show has been a big priority. I’m sure [the third 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. It just always takes a certain amount of time with “Mamma Mia.” Bjorn and Benny always take a certain amount of convincing. I don’t know how much more convincing they’re gonna have because everybody wants another film. But they had ABBA Voyage and then they wanted a rest from ABBA staff. But it will happen. We’ve done the television show and now maybe I’ll focus on the movie. Maybe that’ll be a second 25-year celebration.
Mamma Mia! 3 Has Plenty of Material Available
Even if not every Mamma Mia! cast member wishes to return, a third movie in the franchise could follow any number of storylines. The events of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again leave the door open for many possibilities. However, the most likely would be another flashback-laden movie following the birth of Sophie’s child alongside her early life with her mother on the Greek island of Kalokairi.
There is likewise an ample amount of material that has yet to be plumbed from the ABBA catalogue. ABBA has a vast discography of songs that are perfect for the type of vibrant storytelling the movies are known for, including deeper cuts such as “If It Wasn’t For the Night” and “Cassandra.” There are also tracks that were used in the original musical including “Summer Night City” and “Under Attack” that have yet to appear in either movie adaptation.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again also introduced the concept of using songs from previous movies as reprises in certain key moments. Between reprises, unused songs, and ABBA’s 2021 album Voyage, which provides nine brand-new songs and one unreleased track, Mamma Mia! 3 could very easily find its way to the screen. It remains to be seen if it ever comes together, but if this new reality show is a hit, it could very well make the sequel a strong priority moving forward.
Source: Variety
