Having the time of your life! Mamma Mia! left a lasting impression in 2008 as the cast transported viewers to Greece while singing ABBA’s greatest hits — and one film just wasn’t enough.
Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried captivated audiences as mother-daughter duo Donna and Sophie in the original movie. In hopes of getting answers about her father’s identity, Sophie contacts three of her mom’s former flames — Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) and Harry (Colin Firth) — before her wedding.
While fans never officially learn who Sophie’s dad is, the men all agree to be stay in her life as father figures. Meanwhile, the love story that plays out between Donna and Sam makes viewers lust for a European fairy tale of their own.
A decade after the musical’s success, producer Judy Craymer gave fans a second film filled with more ABBA tunes and mischief on the Greek isles. 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again introduced viewers to a young Donna, played by Lily James, and her three whirlwind romances.
Donna’s origin story also brought Cher into the mix as her mother, Ruby Sheridan. Along with a few newbies, the original cast all appeared in the sequel, including Donna’s grown-up BFFs Rosie (played by Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski), who played a big part in both stories.
In August 2021, Craymer reflected on the two hit movies, which were inspired by the Mamma Mia! musical that premiered on Broadway in 1999.
“Meryl was the first choice [for Donna]. I’d seen her in a play … and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, she’s good,’” the English filmmaker recalled during an interview with Daily Mail+. “She jumped at it before she read the script because she had seen the play in New York. I had called her agent and asked him, which was not really the protocol. He called Meryl, thinking she’d say no. She screamed on the phone, ‘I am Mamma Mia!’ She was so supportive.”
The producer explained that — despite rave reviews for the first film — “nothing ever moves that fast” in Hollywood, so the sequel took 10 years to get on the big screen.
“It just seemed natural and the right time. Everyone wanted to come together for it,” Craymer said of the second movie, noting that Streep rarely — if ever — does sequels, but she agreed to come back. “I think she missed us. It was just a big party, really.”
Craymer also teased the possibility of a third blockbuster — and many of the films’ stars have hinted at wanting to go back to Greece one last time.
“I always think wouldn’t it be fun just to get back together on that Greek island and maybe film all of us having dinner and telling the stories and singing all ABBA songs?” Baranski told Entertainment Weekly in January 2022 when asked about reuniting for a possible Mamma Mia! 3. “And then just have it filmed as a great night out.”
Scroll down to see what the cast and creators of the Mamma Mia! franchise have said about making it a trilogy:
“I was meant to have been getting on with that, in my head, during these months. But then I got hit with Covid fog,” Craymer told Baz Bamigboye for the Daily Mail in June 2020. “I think one day there will be another film, because there’s meant to be a trilogy, you see. I know Universal would like me to do it.” Universal Pictures/Relativity Media/Littlestar/Playtone/Kobal/Shutterstock
“Listen, every single person in that movie would say yes in a heartbeat, because we want to hang out with each other,” Seyfried told Collider in an interview published in June 2020. “That’s what we talked about last time, like, did we ever think that we’d end up here again on an island in Croatia?” The Mank actress, however, questioned whether it could actually come to fruition based on how many ABBA songs are currently available. “So yeah, I wish there was a Mamma Mia! 3. But I’ll tell you what — I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, and I hope I’m wrong again. I don’t think there are enough ABBA songs to make a third movie,” she continued. “Because we’d have to use ‘Super Trooper’ again and we’d have to use ‘Mamma Mia’ again and have to use them in a different way.” Moviestore/Shutterstock
“Yes, I would do 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I’m down,” James said during an October 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon amid rumors of a third film. “I’m down. Signed, sealed, delivered, I’m theirs.” Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Mean Girls actress revealed whether she’d be up for another Mamma Mia! movie or would rather have 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 laughed. "If it was up to me, yes, of course, there would be eight Mamma Mias. Do you know how much fun that is?" Greg Allen/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
"I hope if they are deciding to do it, it better be soon because a lot of us are not getting any younger,” Baranski told 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.” Jonathan Prime/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
Craymer teased the possibility of making another film while speaking with the Daily Mail+ in August 2021, saying, “As we say in the film world, that’s in the works. It has to be a trilogy. Everyone wants to come back and do it, so it’s being worked on. I think they all have to be back.” She hinted that Cher’s character could be a big focus in the third installment. “We haven’t finished her story yet,” the producer continued. “There could be a couple of new ABBA songs. I think there are songs that haven’t been used from the ABBA catalog.” Jonathan Prime/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
Skarsgård suggested that his Dune costar Dave Bautista join the cast of the next movie. “I wish I could say. It took 10 years between Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! 2 — if it’s going to take another 10 years, then I’ll be dead,” he joked during an October 2021 interview with Screen Rant. “I’m worried we might not get there. But if they call, I will say yes immediately, because the experience of doing those two films was fantastic.” Bautista chimed in, saying, “It’s not going to be 10 years. I guarantee you that people are on the phone; they’ve been anticipating this. And there is such a search for good entertainment, with all the new outlets that are constantly in search of media. I think there have been phone calls made, and Stellan will get a phone call when he gets home.” Skarsgård was excited about possibly starring in the next chapter of the musical films, adding, “And hopefully you’ll be in it, Dave. We talked about that. I want to dance with David on an island in Greece.” Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
"If we could go back and have the same amount of good fun and be on a Greek island together filming and dining together at night at some wonderful trattoria or taverna, I don't think anybody would give you an argument," Baranski told Entertainment Weekly in January 2022. She noted that the biggest snag could be everyone’s schedules. "It's a nightmare to get that sort of a cast together," the Good Fight alum added. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
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