In 2001, actress Anne Hathaway starred as Princess Amelia “Mia” Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in the hit coming-of-age film “The Princess Diaries.” Later, in 2004, she was crowned queen of her kingdom, Genovia, in “The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement.” Now, the people’s princess has announced that she will be returning to Genovia, over twenty years later, with “The Princess Diaries 3.”
On Oct. 4, Hathaway posted a video on her Instagram featuring clips from the first and second movies, along with a clip of herself quoting Princess Mia’s famous “Shut up!” as she counts to three on her fingers, confirming the rumors that a third movie was in the works. Her post also revealed the film’s director, Adele Lim, who is best known for her work on “Crazy Rich Asians” and Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
Aside from Hathaway and Lim, it is unclear who all will be involved in the film. Fans are hopeful that their favorite characters will make an appearance, notably, Mia’s love interest from the second movie, Prince Nicholas Devereaux, played by actor Chris Pine; however his role in the third movie has yet to be confirmed. When asked about the possibility of reprising his role, Pine claimed not to know anything about it. Contrastly, actress Julie Andrews is doubtful that she will be able to return to the franchise, believing herself and even Hathaway to be too old to play their characters now.
“I think if Jennifer Lawrence can play a 16-year-old at 21, then Anne Hathaway can,” Cora Long, ‘27, said. “They can just say that Mia aged and with a little makeup, she could do the part.”
With hope, the new film will preserve the same spark as the first two, despite the negative reputation of many popular film franchise reboots.
“I think reboots can be good if they are done well, but that doesn’t always happen,” Meredith Stilwill, ‘25, said. “I’m hoping that the new movie is a time jump to when Mia is queen and has a daughter.”
According to a Town and Country article, there has been a script in development since 2017 and it has been read and approved by author Meg Cabot, who wrote the original book series that inspired the franchise. Around the time of Hathaway’s announcement, it was also confirmed that writer Flora Greeson, best known for her work on “The High Note,” is behind the third movie’s script.
With the passing of the first and second films’ director, Garry Marshall in 2016, it is impossible for the new film to be exactly the same as the old ones, but both Hathaway and Andrews predict that if and when the film is made, it will be in honor of him.
There is no official release date yet, as the film is still in the early stages of its development, but it is set to begin filming in 2025. For now, fans will have to remain on the edge of their seats as they look forward to what’s in store for Princess Mia and her beloved companions.
