It’s been almost a decade since Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan et al first twirled their way across a sun-kissed Greek isle in Mamma Mia!, the delightfully cheesy musical based on the songs of ABBA.
That film pulled in more than £460 million at the box office and cemented Seyfried’s status as a bona fide leading lady. And now, because Hollywood studio executives love nothing more than attempting to repeat a success story, Mamma Mia! is getting a sequel.
The BBC reports that the appropriately named Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! will feature members of the original cast including Seyfried, Streep, Brosnan and Colin Firth. Like the 2008 film, the sequel will be set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi and filmed on the real Greek island of Skopelos.
The first Mamma Mia! film, in which young bride-to-be Sophie (Seyfried) has to figure out whether her father is Sam (Brosnan), Harry (Firth) or Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), was based on a West End musical.
This time around, the script and direction will be handled by British filmmaker Ol Parker – husband of Thandie Newton – who is perhaps best known for writing the screenplays for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films.
The soundtrack will once more be provided by ABBA, with the band’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus working on music and lyrics and acting as executive producers.
Little is known about the plot of the Mamma Mia! sequel. However, given that it’s due to hit cinemas in July 2018, a full 10 years after the original was released, it seems safe to say that things will have changed somewhat.
Plans for a sequel have been in the pipeline for some time, with Seyfried suggesting that a second film could be in the works just a year after the release of the first.
“I’ve been talking to some insiders and it’s not something they haven’t been working on,” she told BBC Newsbeat in 2009, adding: “I will do it. And I know Meryl’s game as well, so bring it on.”
Images: Rex Features
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