I have a dream... and it’s to have more Mamma Mia songs to sing! Because otherwise, the soundtracks for the first two movies are going to go on repeat for decades to come. Thankfully, Judy Craymer -- the producer behind the original Broadway musical and two star-studded movies -- also wants more. But could a theoretical threequel include Meryl Streep, too? Well, Craymer addressed that while sharing her thoughts on a Mamma Mia 3.
Judy Craymer notably got the idea for the Mamma Mia musical back in the late '90s, before she tapped Catherine Johnson to write the book for the musical. Eventually, the great and funny musical would receive a theatrical adaptation, whih hit theaters in 2008. Fans had to wait a decade for the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, but it was well worth it. In an interview with Deadline, Craymer shared that she’s hoping to make a third movie as well, and it seems that she wants Meryl Streep to be involved:
It’s in its earliest stages. I don’t want to over-egg it, but I know there’s a trilogy there. … There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back —— and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna.
Directed By: Phyllida Lloyd
Written By: Catherine Johnson
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Waters, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Dominic Cooper
Runtime: 108 minutes
How To Stream: Amazon Prime subscription
This isn’t the first time she's shared her thoughts on making a trilogy as, back in 2020, the producer also explained that a third Mamma Mia movie would happen “one day.” Three years later, it sounds like the producer still has the idea floating around in her head, but it’s not official yet. Right now, the latest production inspired by the franchise is ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, which is a talent show set on a Greek Island. Additionally, the successful producer is also looking to bring the show back to Broadway in 2025.
It’s good news for fans like myself, who won’t quit rewatching Mamma Mia and its 2018 sequel. Judy Craymer has apparently thought up a way for the franchise to continue and, with it, she would very much want to see Meryl Streep back as Donna Sheridan alongside the main cast. It’s certainly one of Streep’s most iconic roles, and she always looks like she’s having an absolute blast as the free-spirited hotel owner, so why wouldn’t she want to be a part of it?
In all, the franchise has made $4 billion, between the shows, movies and albums, so surely Universal Pictures would want to get on board with another jukebox musical featuring ABBA songs. Here We Go Again even quietly made a lot of money back in 2018, wracking up $395 million worldwide against a $75 million budget.
When CinemaBlend spoke to the Here We Go Again cast at that time, they shared their ideas for a third movie, suggesting that it should have flashbacks to the life of Donna’s mother, Ruby Sheridan, who Cher played. It was revealed in the sequel that she had an early love affair with Andy Garcia’s Señor Fernando Cienfuegos circa 1959 before becoming a famous singer, who greatly neglects Donna. That'd be an interesting avenue for the franchise to explore after the three generations of Sheridan women reunited at the end of Here We Go Again.
It’s exciting to hear that another Mamma Mia could be on the way. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take another decade to happen and that it does end up featuring Meryl Streep in some capacity.
