UPDATE: 10/4/24 at 4:50 p.m. ET
Hathaway revealed on Friday that she is officially on board to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis in Princess Diaries 3.
“Miracles happen ✨👑 Back to Genovia with @adeleblim @disney @somewherepictures,” the actress wrote via Instagram. “The fairy tale continues ❤️🔥.”
Hathaway also shared a video with Mia saying, “Shut up!” in The Princess Diaries followed by Andrews saying the iconic line in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. The camera then flipped to Hathaway holding up three fingers, confirming the third movie. “Shut up!” she screamed.
Original story below:
Commoners rejoice because Disney is taking Us back to Genovia with a Princess Diaries 3.
Adele Lim has been hired to direct the upcoming film, Deadline reported on Friday, October 4, marking the first real step forward for the rumored third installment. The Princess Diaries premiered in 2001 and the sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, came out three years later.
“As a diehard fan of the original Princess Diaries, I’m beyond excited to be a part of bringing the third iteration of this beloved franchise to life,” Lim told the outlet in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
The studio is planning to begin filming in 2025, with star Anne Hathaway expected to return. Hathaway, who played Mia Thermopolis in the first two films, has not signed any deal, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (Hours later, Hathaway confirmed her participation.)
Debra Martin Chase is reportedly producing the third film, while Lim’s producing partner Naia Cucukov will be one of the executive producers. Melissa Stack has signed on as the second executive producer, per Deadline.
Rumblings of a Princess Diaries 3 began in January 2019 when Hathaway, 41, revealed, “There is a script for the third movie,” during a Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen appearance.
“I want to do it. Julie [Andrews] wants to do it. Debra Martin Chase, our producer, wants to do it. We all really want it to happen,” Hathaway said at the time.
In addition to Hathaway’s Mia, who discovers she is princess of a country called Genovia in the original film, Andrews, 89, played Mia’s grandmother and Queen of Genovia, Clarisse Renaldi.
The late Garry Marshall was the director on the first two projects, adapting Meg Cabot’s bestselling novels by the same name for the big screen.
Andrews, for her part, has gone back and forth on whether she thinks a third movie will really happen, telling Jimmy Fallon in June 2022 that she’d be “thrilled” to see it come to fruition.
In December of that year, Andrews told Access Hollywood, “I very much doubt” that she and Hathaway would be able to reprise their roles this long after the first two movies.
The last time we saw Mia, she assumed the throne and had taken over for her grandmother as the ruler of Genovia. Mia was also dating Nicholas Deveraux, played by Chris Pine, while Clarisse finally married her longtime bodyguard, Joe, played by Hector Elizondo.
Hathaway has remained positive about moving forward for years. “We’re in a good place,” she teased in April while speaking with V magazine. “That’s all I can say. There’s nothing to announce yet. But we’re in a good place.”
While fans are hoping for both Hathaway and Andrews to return, Lim will bring new blood to the Princess Diaries universe. However, she is well-versed in how Disney works having written the studio’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Lim made her directorial debut with 2023’s Joy Ride and previously gained recognition for writing the blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians.
