Universal Exec Says Mamma Mia 3 Is Happening, But Will Meryl Streep Return?

Movie musicals are a tried and true genre in the film world, just look at how much money Wicked made recently. While the Mamma Mia! movies didn't join the ranks of musicals that won Best Picture, they were both wildly successful. There's been chatter about a threequel for years, and a Universal exec recently offered some encouraging news. But could Meryl Streep return as Donna?

Mammia Mia! Here We Go Again was set after Donna died, with Streep only getting a brief cameo during its runtime. Ever since then there have been calls for a threequel, with Amanda Seyfried wanting Sydney Sweeney to join the fun. In a conversation with Deadline, NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Dame Donna Langley seemingly confirmed we'll get another sequel, saying:

Talk about exciting. It seems like the studio has heard fans calling for another Mamma Mia! movie, and a third movie is going to happen eventually. And Judy Craymer, who created the original stage musical and its sequel movie, will once again be the creative force adapting ABBA's music into a new movie musical. So while it's still early, it looks like Mamma Mia! 3 is in good hands.

The cast has expressed interest in a third Mamma Mia! for years, so this news from Langley is likely going to be thrilling to both them and the fans. Later in the same interview, she spoke about whether or not Meryl Streep might be back, offering:

That's certainly a hopeful message. While Streep's return as Donna might be narratively challenging given the character's death, it sounds like the studio would love to have the Oscar-winning actress back in her most famous movie musical role.

Amanda Seyfried has been determined to get the threequel made, so I'm curious to see if/how she responds to these thrilling comments. She lead both of the first two movies as Sophie, with the sequel tackling her grief over Donna's offscreen death. It's already been a number of year since Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again hit theaters in 2018, so Universal might want to pick up the pace in order to book the full cast. After all, everyone is getting older.

It's currently unclear when Mamma Mia! 3 will arrive, but hopefully it's soon. But since it's not on the 2026 movie release list, we might have to try and be patient. Fingers crossed that active development starts soon.