What's Going On With The Princess Diaries 3

It has been nearly 20 years since Anne Hathaway broke out onto the scene with her performance as Mia Thermoplis in Garry Marshall's 2001 cinderella story The Princess Diaries, and over 15 years since the Academy Award winner returned to Genovia in 2004's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. But after all the years, countless roles, and a number of awards, the world is still waiting on Queen Mia to return to the Disney franchise. So, what's going on with The Princess Diaries 3?

Well, officially, there hasn't been much to go off of these past few years, but there while Disney nor the producers of the franchise have said anything, several of the stars from the first two films have spoken up time and time again voicing their desire to return to the world of The Princess Diaries for at least one more go around before everything is said and done. With that in mind, let's take a look at what has been going on with the project.

Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Garry Marshall Was Working On Something Before His Death In 2016

The world was shocked and saddened by the death of legendary film and television director Garry Marshall at the age of 81 in July 2016, but the news stung The Princess Diaries fans a little harder as the filmmaker was supposedly working on something tied to the franchise just a few months before his death. During an April 2016 conversation on Larry King Now, the man responsible for bringing classic shows like Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley to the small screen and films like Pretty Woman, Beaches, and Runaway Bride opened up about whatever he was working on regarding the story of Queen Mia:

Well, they talk about it. Disney always likes to announce things, so they tell Garry, 'Shut up, we'll announce it.' [Anne Hathaway] came to my office, she was quite pregnant… she puts her computer on the table, pushes three buttons, there's Julie Andrews on Skype in Long Island. And we have a meeting. I hope they do it.

Unfortunately, we won't get to see whatever Garry Marshall had planned to do with a third Princess Diaries movie, but it is nice to know that Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway have continued to push forward with the project, even after the death of one of the main contributors to the first two entries.

Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries

Anne Hathaway Said There Was A Script And An Urge To Move Forward In 2019

Several years after Garry Marshall's passing, Anne Hathaway was a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in January 2019 when a caller asked if there had been any progress with The Princess Diaries 3, and to the shock of everyone, Queen Mia herself gave perhaps the biggest update in ages:

There is a script for the third movie. [To the audience's reaction] That was so cute. There is a script. I want to do it. Julie wants to do it. Deborah Martin Chase, our producer, wants to do it. We all really want it to happen, it's just we don't want to do it unless it's perfect because we love it just as much as you guys love it, it's as important to us as it is to you, and we don't want to deliver anything until it's ready, but we're working on it.

While Anne Hathaway didn't provide a lot of concrete information about the long-rumored sequel to The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, her candidness did show that one, she is still tied to the project, and two, she still holds a special place for a franchise that served as a springboard into stardom.

Julie Andrews in The Princess Bride

Julie Andrews Said It Would Be Lovely To Get Together For A Third Movie In 2020

Anne Hathaway isn't the only member of the Princess Diaries cast to show an interest in continuing with the series as Queen Clarisse Renaldi herself, Julie Andrews, told The Talk in April 2020 that it would be lovely to go back to Genovia at least one more time, stating:

It's long been talked about but nothing sort of been on my desk or anything like that. I think I would. I'm going awfully old and crotchety. I'm not sure if it's the right timing, but I think to work with Annie [Hathaway] would be lovely again. And yeah, sure, I would be up for it. I think we should wait if the script comes in just wait for that.

And while Julie Andrews makes it sound like the odds might be stacked against the cast in getting something going for The Princess Diaries 3, but we all can hope, right? Right? But this all does lead you to wonder about the script that Anne Hathaway spoke about a year earlier and if that is still around if her onscreen grandma is saying that they were waiting on one more than a year later.

Heather Matarazzo in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Heather Matarazzo Said There's A Desire To Get This Done In A 2020 Interview

Heather Matarazzo, who played Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz in both Princess Diaries movies, was even getting in on the fun about a third entry when she appeared on The Morning Show in July 2020. During the interview with the Australian morning news program, Moscovitz explained that everyone wants to see The Princess Diaries 3, hopefully, sooner rather than later, stating:

I know there is a script written, and we lost the captain of our ship, Garry Marshall, a few years ago. I think we have a little bit of a fire under our butt to get this done.

The actress, who achieved acclaim at a young age in the 1995 dark comedy Welcome to the Dollhouse stressed that while she was excited to see something happen, COVID-19 has forced a lot of studios to put plans on hold this year.

Mandy Moore in The Princess Diaries; Chris Pine in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Even Mandy Moore And Chris Pine Sound Down To Return

In addition to launching the career of Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement helped propel the careers of Mandy Moore and Chris Pine, respectively. In recent years while the two actors have gone on to find a great deal of success in their careers, Moore and Pine both have gone on the record stating that they would like to return to the franchise if there was a third installment.

It has been years since his portrayal of Nicholas Deveraux in The Princess Diaries 2, but Chris Pine was still fielding questions regarding a possible third movie when promoting The Finest Hours in 2016. During a Q&A session with EW, Pine was asked if he prayed there would be a third movie, and he responded in the best possible fashion:

Have you been reading my diary?

Mandy Moore, on the other hand, made it seem like she thought it would be better for her character, Lana Thomas, to return for a small cameo during a 2017 conversation with Elle:

If I'm going to be involved, I would be down for a cameo—maybe she could make amends with Mia and apologize for being a bully when she was younger. She was insecure, going through a difficult time in her life and [has now] reflected on why that wasn't okay.

Maybe we could get more than a cameo out of Mandy Moore, who has proven time and time again that she can hold her own in front of the camera, especially on This Is Us. Fingers crossed, I suppose.

What about you? Would you be excited to see The Princess Diaries 3? Let us know in the comments below.

Philip Sledge
Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.