Anne Hathaway as Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in The Princess Diaries 2.
Anne Hathaway as Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in The Princess Diaries 2.
It’s been a two-decade wait for fans of the Princess Diaries franchise, and now, Anne Hathaway has confirmed a third film is officially in development at Disney.
The US actress, 41, began her stellar Hollywood career when the original movie debuted in 2001, in which she played SanFrancisco teen Mia Thermopolis, a normal girl who is fast plucked from high school obscurity upon discovering she is the heir to the small European country of Genovia.
Her estranged grandmother, Genovian Queen Clarisse (played by Julie Andrews), travels to the US in a bid to prep and prime an unenthused Mia to take over her kingdom one day.
The Garry Marshall-directed flick was an unexpected success at the box office, making $US165.3 million worldwide against a $US26 million ($42.2m) budget, and has since earned a coveted cult status among coming-of-age films.
Both Hathaway and Andrews returned for the 2004 sequel Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which was set in Genovia. It made slightly less than the original with a $US134.7 million ($218.6m) global gross.
And that was the last we saw of Mia, crowned Queen of Genovia by the film’s end as she embarked on a relationship with the dashing Nicholas Deveraux, played by a then-unknown Chris Pine.
Iconic.
Taking to social media on Friday, local time, Hathaway shared a news article announcing Adele Lim as director of Princess Diaries 3.
“Miracles happen. Back to Genovia with @adeleblim @disney @somewherepictures. The fairy tale continues,” Hathaway captioned the video.
Fans flooded the comment section celebrating the royally wonderful news, with one writing, “THE QUEEN OF GENOVIA HAS CONFIRMED SHE WILL RETURN.”
“I screamed so loud,” another added.”NOOOOO F*ING WAAAAAAAY,” a third said.
“THIS SAVED MY LIFE,” another wrote.
Lim, who recently directed Joy Ride and co-wrote Crazy Rich Asians, said in a statement: “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.
“We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
The first two movies were directed by Marshall, who died in 2016.
As for the rest of the cast, only Hathaway has confirmed her involvement in the third instalment, with fans eager for 89-year-old Andrews to also reprise her role.
