Director Ol Parker teases third Mamma Mia! film

Ol Parker has teased the prospect of a third ‘Mamma Mia!’ film.

The 53-year-old filmmaker helmed the second movie in the ABBA musical franchise, ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’, and has claimed that producer Judy Craymer has plans in place for another flick.

Ol told spoke out saying: “Judy Craymer, the genius producer behind the musical and the first two films, always plans for it to be a trilogy. That’s all I can say.

“The first one made an enormous amount of money, and I think we made a fair amount, too. I know that there is a hunger for a third, and I know that she has a plan. Wouldn’t it be lovely?”

Craymer revealed in 2020 that she had been trying to figure out an idea for ‘Mamma Mia 3’ and was planning to use four new ABBA songs in the film penned by band members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.

She said at the time: “I was meant to have been getting on with that, in my head, during these months. But then I got hit with COVID fog.

“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.”

Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie Sheridan in the franchise but previously said that she was unconvinced that a third film would be possible due to a lack of ABBA material.

The 37-year-old star said: “Listen, every single person in that movie would say yes in a heartbeat because we want to hang out with each other. 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?

“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. 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.”

In May 2022, Amanda Seyfried disappointingly revealed that nobody was talking to her about Mamma Mia! 3, but she was still hopeful that they’ll get to do it. Christine Baranski pretty much said the same in January 2022 as well.

Mamma Mia 3 cast: Who’s coming back for Mamma Mia 3?

Should the third movie be confirmed, we don’t imagine they’ll struggle to get the cast back together, so expect to see all your favourites again.

Amanda Seyfried has changed her mind on whether a third movie will happen from “I don’t f**king think so” to “beyond yes”, even if she isn’t convinced there’s enough ABBA songs remaining to make it work.

That’s not a no though if they manage to get a script that works for the third movie, so expect to see Seyfried return as Sophie Sheridan, along with the likes of Dominic Cooper as Sophie’s husband Sky, Christine Baranski as Tanya and Julie Walters as Rosie.

Of course, what would a Mamma Mia! movie be without Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård as Sophie’s three fathers Sam, Harry and Bill, respectively.

However, given that the older version of Donna Sheridan (played by Meryl Streep) had died in the second movie, we’re not expecting her to return for a third outing.

Having already witnessed Donna’s past exploits, Lily James (who played the young Donna) could also be missing from a third movie as a result, but she might always be back in flashbacks.

In terms of Sophie’s estranged grandmother and Donna’s mother, Ruby Sheridan (Cher) was an effective replacement so we’d expect her to continue to fill that role. Even if Cher was playing the mum of Streep in a fairly major time slip for the actresses.

Still, don’t rule out Streep entirely if she does fancy playing a part. A ghost version of Donna appeared to sing at the end of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at the christening of Sophie’s daughter, so maybe Streep could continue to look down on and participate in events from the afterlife.

Skarsgård, on the other hand, is all in if a threequel does go ahead. The actor, who plays Bill in the movies, revealed that he would join a third movie in a heartbeat: “I wouldn’t have to read the script. If they call, I’ll come.”

Even his son, Alexander Skarsgård fancies a role in the third movie, saying he would “one hundred per cent” sign up for it, not to work with his father, but to work again with Meryl Streep.

Awkward.

Mamma Mia 3 songs: What ABBA songs will be in Mamma Mia 3?

To continue this franchise properly we’re obviously going to need a reprise of ‘Mamma Mia’, what with it being in the title and all.

There are also a few songs that are solid-gold ABBA classics that have appeared as touchstones in both movies so far and could reappear:

• ‘Dancing Queen’
• ‘I Have a Dream’
• ‘The Name of the Game’
• ‘Super Trouper’
• ‘Waterloo’

The original Mamma Mia also contained the following ABBA songs:

• ‘Chiquitita’
• ‘Does Your Mother Know’
• ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’
• ‘Honey, Honey’; ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’
• ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’
• ‘Money, Money, Money’
• ‘Our Last Summer’
• ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’
• ‘SOS’
• ‘Take a Chance on Me’
• ‘Thank You for the Music’
• ‘The Winner Takes It All’
• ‘Voulez-Vous’
• ‘When All Is Said and Done’

Meanwhile, Mamma Mia 2 added these ABBA songs:

• ‘Andante, Andante’
• ‘Angel Eyes’
• ‘Fernando’
• ‘I Wonder (Departure)’
• ‘I’ve Been Waiting for You’
• ‘Kisses of Fire’
• ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’
• ‘My Love, My Life’
• ‘One of Us’
• ‘The Day Before You Came’
• ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’
• ‘Why Did It Have to Be Me?’

As for what other songs might make an appearance in the threequel, it’s anybody’s guess right now. Fear not though, there’s plenty still to mine from ABBA’s back catalogue if a third movie happens.