Confirmed: Third Mamma Mia! Installment in Development, Amanda Seyfried Suggests New Stars

Actress Amanda Seyfried has officially confirmed that the highly anticipated third installment in the beloved Mamma Mia! musical franchise is actively moving forward. This exciting news brings a wave of optimism for fans eagerly awaiting the continuation of Sophie’s story, set, of course, to the timeless hits of ABBA.

Producer Judy Craymer has also expressed firm conviction that the project, originally envisioned as a trilogy, will indeed come to fruition. Craymer has previously indicated that a plot outline for the sequel is already prepared, though specific details remain closely guarded secrets. Seyfried, who portrays Sophie, floated the idea that the ideal window for principal photography on the Greek islands might be the summer of 2026. She pointed out that a contributing factor to the delay has been Universal Pictures, the studio behind the first two films, prioritizing their focus on another major musical project, Wicked.

The original Mamma Mia! film, released in 2008, and its 2018 follow-up, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, achieved substantial global box office success, grossing over 600 million dollars and 402 million dollars, respectively. Adding an intriguing layer to the development, Seyfried proposed potential new ensemble members who could enrich the narrative. Specifically, Seyfried voiced a desire to see rising stars Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney join the cast. In her view, Carpenter could portray a long-lost cousin of Sophie, while Sweeney could integrate into the core group of actors.

It is anticipated that the third chapter will build upon the narrative threads established in the second film, where Sophie discovered she was pregnant. Seyfried has expressed a strong interest in portraying Sophie as a mother raising her children, opening up fresh avenues for both dramatic depth and comedic moments for the character. The actress confirmed that key returning veterans of the franchise—including the three men who played Sophie’s fathers (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård), alongside Julie Walters and Christine Baranski—are expected to reprise their roles. Although Meryl Streep’s character, Donna, passed away in the second movie, both producers and Streep herself have suggested openness to her return through creative narrative devices.

Christine Baranski had previously shared that she met with Judy Craymer, who is actively “planning Mamma Mia 3” and provided Baranski with the “narrative storyline of how it will happen.” This insider confirmation suggests that substantial internal work on developing the third film is underway, even in the absence of a formal announcement from Universal Pictures regarding the production timeline.