The creator of Mamma Mia! has teased that a third film in the franchise is “finally in the works” after years of fan speculation.
As the West End production of Mamma Mia! enters its 25th year on stage, the show’s creator and driving force, Judy Craymer, has been speaking about its success over the last two decades, and, more-importantly for fans, has hinted that she’s also pushing to make the dream of a third film in the beloved franchise a reality.
An absolute smash-hit success when it was released all the way back in 2008, and going on to develop a cult following of passionate fans, the original Mamma Mia! film stars Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper in some of their first major leading roles on screen.
The ensemble cast is also made up of other huge acting heavyweights like Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, and Christine Baranski.
Mamma Mia 3 is apparently ‘finally in the works’ after years of speculation / Credit: Universal Pictures
With the music of Swedish pop group ABBA soundtracking the show, and named after one of their biggest hits, the original Mamma Mia! film follows the story of Sophie and her family as they are busy preparing for her wedding, when she secretly invites three men – who were her mother’s lovers in the past – with the hope that one of them is her father.
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It may not have been a favourite of the critics, but it certainly was of the fans, and went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of that year.
And of course, with such overwhelming popularity of the first film, a second film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, was eventually commissioned and released 10 years later in 2018.
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Both a prequel and a sequel in one, the plot of the second film is set after the events of the previous film, and is intersected with flashbacks to Donna’s youth in 1979 – with some scenes from the two time periods mirroring each other.
Creator Judy Craymer has admitted she “knows there’s a trilogy there” / Credit: Universal Pictures
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was well-received, and as was to be expected, also proved popular with fans, who have since continuously begged for a third film to make the franchise a trilogy – but until now, the show’s creator has neither confirmed or denied whether anything was officially in the works, and whether the original cast would return.
In an interview with Deadline ahead of the start of ITV’s new talent show, Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, creator Judy Craymer says a third film is “in its earliest stages”, and reveals she’s come up with a way to bring back all of the previous movie’s favourite characters.
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“I don’t want to over-egg it, but I know there’s a trilogy there,” Craymer admits.
“There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back – and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna.”
Featured Image – Universal Pictures
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Shocking new survey reveals 40% of Brits haven’t read a single book in the last year
Emily Sergeant
A shocking new survey has revealed that 40% of Brits haven’t read a single book within the last year alone.
Reading is a lifeline for some, it’s a chance to delve into a story, open your mind, expand your horizons, and lose yourself in another world, but at present, it’s fair to say that reading is far from a universal habit among British adults – and in fact, 40% claim to have not picked up or listened to a single book in the last 12 months.
Ahead of World Book Day last week, YouGov decided to look into the reading habits of the British public and asked a total of 2121 adults a series of literary-related questions.
According to the survey, a quarter of Brits (23%) who responded say they have read or listened to between one and five books in the last year, with a further 10% admitting to reading or listening to between six and 10, and an extra 10% making their way through between 11 and 20 books.
Shocking new survey reveals that 40% of Brits haven’t read a single book in the last year / Credit: Freepik | Susan Q Yin (via Unsplash)
There are a small number of so-called ‘mega-readers’, however, with 4% of respondents claiming they have read more than 50 books, which is roughly one or more books a week, on average.
As often tends to be the case with many survey results, the results do differ between gender, age, and social class.
Two-thirds of women (66%) say they have read or listened to a book in the last year, but just over half of men (53%) say they have.
Older Brits are also more likely to be readers too, with 65% of over 65s and 63% of 50-64 year olds having read at least one book or listened to one audiobook in the last year, compared to just 57% of 25-49 year olds, and 53% of 18-24 year olds.
4% claimed they’ve read more than 50 books in the last year / Credit: Debbie Tea (via Unsplash)
According to YouGov’s findings, there is also something of a class divide in reading too.
66% of survey respondents who live in middle class households have read or listened to a book in the last 12 months, compared to just 52% those living in working class households.
And how about frequency? According to the survey, 50% of Brits say they read or listen to books at least once a week, with 37% reading ‘most days’, and 20% reading every day, and women more likely than men to be daily readers at 27%.
Just 15% of Brits say they ‘never’ read or listen to books at all.
While a growing number of Brits may be using audiobooks, most 53% don’t consider ‘listening’ to be the equivalent of having read the same book, and 82% still prefer physical copies of books.
Anaïs, Molly and Gene Gallagher share the screen in a new phone advert
Danny Jones
The Gallagher kids have enjoyed a little reunion of their own as Noel’s daughter Anaïs, as well as Liam’s oldest and youngest children, Molly and Gene, have been doing a little bit of light acting in a new advert.
It’s been just over half a year now since Oasis broke the internet and British brains everywhere after confirming their comeback and ‘Live ’25’ world tour and we’re now just a few months out from seeing it in person a decade and a half since they last played together.
The family feud is one of the most famous in all of showbiz but one thing we’ve always wondered is how much of an impact it had on the Gallagher kids, especially now they’re adults.
Well, it turns out that since their dads have put their brotherly differences aside, their offspring look to have done the same.
The advert itself is for Samsung and their new Galaxy S25 Ultra model and, more specifically, its new ‘Auto Trim’ video editing feature.
Set at what looks to be a dinner party, the two previously estranged Gallagher daughters can be seen sending messages back and forth; meanwhile, Liam‘s youngest son Gene is merely in the background other than calling the whole thing “cringe”.
He’s already far too rock and roll for all this clearly.
After all, he and the rest of his Villanelle bandmates are starting to gain some traction and might have some of those reunion shows to get ready for. 25-year-old Anaïs still maintains he didn’t even hear anything about it from dad Noel until the announcement itself.
Either way, the main thing is that the gang are all back together. Wouldn’t ‘r Peggy be proud?
Yes, LG Jr. might be opening up for his dad as one of the support slots.
It’s worth noting that the advert isn’t the first time the Gallagher kids have been pictured with each other since the reconciliation, though.
Molly, Anaïs, Gene and Liam’s eldest Lennon – who wasn’t part of this cosy little commercial for whatever reason – were all spotted at London Fashion Week together back in September 2024.
Despite plenty of choice words having been shared across the family tree over the years, it looks as though all is said and done and now we just have to pray everyone stays friends until July. If the ‘plum story’ has taught us anything, it’s that is a very delicate ecosystem.
After a more recent and seemingly legit picture of the two seemingly getting on together surfaced online (they must have had at least one little spat by now, surely?), it’s feeling more and more real as the five nights at Heaton Park and all the other dates edge closer.
Not that half of us in the office even managed to get tickets, mind you…
Emily Sergeant -
10th May 2023 
