'Mamma Mia!' May Get Another Sequel To Complete An Unlikely Trilogy

Mamma Mia! was a sensation on stage that was turned into a big screen musical. Featuring the music of ABBA, the 2008 film follows a young girl named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) as she hopes to figure out who her father is by inviting her mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) three former lovers (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan SkarsgÄrd) to her upcoming wedding. It surprisingly spawned a sequel 10 years later that flashed back to Donna's younger years with Lily James playing Meryl Streep's character. Now it sounds like a third film could be in the works.Daily Mail (via Variety) recently interviewed producer Judy Craymer, who not only produced the two movie musicals, but the original Mamma Mia! stage musical. Craymer revealed that she was in the midst of working on what would be a third film in the franchise, but our current struggles with coronavirus around the world have proven to be distracting. Craymer said:

"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 didn't get COVID-19 herself, but because of the impact it's had on the world, she's found it hard to concentrate. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like she's in a rush to make it happen just because she can, but she's always envisioned a trilogy for Mamma Mia!. Craymer added:

"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."

Considering the fact that it took 10 years for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to hit theaters, we could be waiting awhile for a third film to come to fruition. But if it does, the soundtrack will likely come with new songs by ABBA. Craymer mentioned that she's hoping to use four new songs written by band members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus for a virtual concert they've planned with fellow ABBA members Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

What would another Mamma Mia! sequel be about? That's anybody's guess for now, but some cast members think shining a light on Cher's character, Sophie's grandmother, might be an interesting direction. If it ends up being 20 years after the first movie by the time it's made, perhaps it could be a story where Amanda Seyfried's character now has kids of her own and they're hearing a story from their grandma. Anything is possible since there's no set trajectory for where this franchise can go next.