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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Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Sir Patrick Stewart’s farewell performance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026
Featured Image – Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)
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Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets this Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks season.
Bonfire Night may be loved by us humans for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that come along with it… but sadly, the November holiday isn’t quite so fun for our four-legged friends.
Loud bangs, flashing lights, and unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives are just some of the reasons why fireworks are frightening to pets.
Not only that, but with multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays across this time of year, pets are rarely able to pinpoint when and where the booming explosions are coming from, therefore creating even more anxiety around this time of year.
Classic FM will play calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks / Credit: DESIGNECOLOGIST (via Unsplash)
Which is why, for the ninth year running now, Classic FM is once again teaming up with the RSPCA for two Pet Classics programmes packed with ‘the most soothing and comforting classical music’.
The music has been handpicked to help calm and settle any anxious pets.
A survey by the RSPCA revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of animal owners reported their pet was distressed during fireworks season, and that playing relaxing music was the most common way (36%) to help calm or prepare their animal.
Presenters Dan Walker, Aled Jones, and Dawn O’Porter will each host a night of the specially created programme to help keep the nation’s pets calm through the whizzes and bangs.
Dan will present the first programme on Bonfire Night itself (Thursday 5 November), and then as celebrations continue throughout the weekend, Aled will be on hand to bring some peace to Friday 6 November, and Dawn picks up the baton on Saturday 7 November.
Emily Sergeant -
10th May 2023 
