Anne Hathaway Returning For The Princess Diaries 3?
Disney is prepping a threequel to The Princess Diaries, and Anne Hathaway may return to the popular role.
It’s clear Disney is in the business of revisiting its well-established franchises and IPs, and it appears the House of Mouse is prepping a sequel that film fans would actually like to see: Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 3. According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is developing a new film in the franchise, which would be a direct sequel to 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which also starred the legendary Dame Julie Andrews.
A script is currently being written by Aadrita Mukerji, who recently wrote episodes for the Amazon Prime Video hit Reacher. She has also written episodes of Supergirl, Scorpion, and The Endgame, and served as a co-executive producer of the Quantum Leap reboot.
Disney has not made an official announcement, and while Anne Hathaway is not officially attached, she has voiced her interest in possibly reprising her role. She played Mia Thermopolis, a socially awkward girl who discovers she is actually heir to the throne of the country of Genovia, after her estranged grandmother Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews) comes into her life. The film helped catapult Hathaway’s career, which has seen an Oscar win and a string of movie hits.
In October, Anna Hathaway voiced her eagerness to return to the Princess Diaries franchise, mostly because she wants to work with Andrews again. “I would more than entertain it, I’m pulling for it,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “If there’s any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work. We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen.”
In an April 2020 interview with the CBS’ The Talk, Andrews seemed to embrace the idea of doing a threequel, although she admits her age might prevent her. However, she did say she would love to work with “Annie” again.
Even actress Mandy Moore (This Is Us) would be up for a return to the film series as Lana, the girl who bullied Mia in high school. She is hoping to reprise her character and give her a bit of a redemption arc, although she admits she has not heard any definite word on a third film. “She’s done a 180,” she theorized in an August interview with Drew Barrymore. “She’s turned her life around, and she and Mia become really good friends.”
While Hathaway is keen to see (and possibly be involved in) a Princess Diaries sequel, she recently said that she believes the time has passed for a sequel to another of her big hits: The Devil Wears Prada. She recently told the panel of ABC’s The View that she thinks it’s too late for a sequel, but would like to see the concept rebooted with a new cast.
The Princess Diaries, based on the novel by Meg Cabot, was a smash hit for Disney in 2001, earning over $108 million domestically and over $165 million worldwide. The 2004 follow-up was equally successful, bringing in over $134 million worldwide.
Sadly, a sequel would have to go on without the original director, Garry Marshall, who died in 2016 and is credited for giving the two films the perfect comedic touch. Debra Martin Chase, the producer on the first two films, is on board for the third, and Melissa Stack (who wrote the Cameron Diaz comedy The Other Woman) is serving as executive producer.
