The Princess Diaries 3: Everything We Know So Far đâ¨
After years of whispers and speculation, The Princess Diaries 3 is finally becoming a reality. Anne Hathaway has confirmed her royal return, and fans are already counting down the days until they can revisit Genovia. From possible returning cast members to what the story might explore next, this sequel promises to be a nostalgic yet fresh chapter in Mia Thermopolisâs journey.
đ Hereâs the full scoop on the long-awaited film
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Anne Hathaway is officially returning to Genovia.
In 2001, Anne Hathaway came into our lives as an unlikely, thick-eyebrowed princess. Over two decades later, a lot has changedâovergrown eyebrows are cool now, for instanceâbut our need for The Princess Diaries content remains.
Hence our excitement that there is a third Princess Diaries movie in the worksâand that Hathaway is officially set to return. Here’s what we know to date about The Princess Diaries 3.
Anne Hathaway will be back.
Hathaway will be indeed returning to Genovia, she announced in October 2024, sharing in a social media post “Miracles happen â¨đ Back to Genovia with @adeleblim @disney @somewherepictures . The fairy tale continues â¤ď¸âđĽ”
Adele Lim will direct.
“As a diehard fan of the original Princess Diaries, Iâm beyond excited to be a part of bringing the third iteration of this beloved franchise to life,” Lim said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
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Lim is best known for writing the script for Crazy Rich Asians.
Most of your favorite characters would be open to returning for the franchise’s third installment.
Back in 2019, Mandy Moore (Lana Thomas), Heather Matarazzo (Lilly Moscovitz), Chris Pine (Nicholas Devereaux), Julie Andrews (Queen Clarisse Renaldi), are all interested in appearing in the movie, according to Elle.
In July 2023, Sandra Oh said she’d love to return as Vice Principal Gupta. “I am ready for the Queen. Call me! I’m dying to see how Gupta has moved up in the world,” Oh told Entertainment Weekly.
In February 2024, John Rhys-Davies, who played Viscount Mabrey in the second film, said that he’d love to return. “Yes, and so would the fabulous Chris Pine,” he said. (Chris Pine played his nephew, Nicholas Devereaux.) Of his time working on the second film, Rhys-Davies shared, “Glorious, what lovely company! What fun we had! And of course, our director [Garry Marshall] was magical. He didnât so much direct a film, he invited some friends to come have a bit of fun and maybe make a movie while we were doing it. It was glorious.”
After Hathaway’s announcement about the Princess Diaries 3, Pine said on Today that the film “could save the world.” On whether or not he’d be in the film, he shared, “I donât know anything,” adding, “call Disney. Call [Disney CEO] Bob Iger,” and reiterating “Honestly, I donât know anything about it. I think itâs fantastic.”
It’s unclear if Julie Andrews will be in the third film.
In May 2022, Andrews shared she doesn’t think she’ll be involved in The Princess Diaries 3. “It would be too late to do it now,” Andrews told the Hollywood Reporter. “There was talk of a sequel many, many years ago. But I donât think it ever came to pass.” Andrews added, “Especially [for] me, itâs too far down the line now to go back to it. Itâs a lovely thought, but I donât think it would probably be possible.”
She echoed that a few months later, saying, “I think we know that itâs probably not going to be possible. It was talked about very shortly after two [The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement] came out, but itâs now how many years since then? And I am that much older and Annie the princess, or queen, is so much older. And I am not sure where it would float or run. In terms of us doing it, I doubt that now.”
In March 2024, Andrews told Today that “there was dialogue about” the Princess Diaries 3, but “nothing had been realized. And I think I may be wrong, but I think itâs been shelved now. I canât be sure.“
She continued, “Itâs quite a long time now since the two âDiariesâ were done, and Iâm not sure, but sometimes itâs best to leave a good thing alone. I donât like it when people milk and milk and milk the subject, you know, ’til itâs dead.” Still, Andrews didn’t rule out the possibility of returning as Queen Clarisse. “Iâd be very happy if we did do another one, but I donât expect to.”
There’s been a script in the works for a few years.
Meg Cabot, the author of the series the movies are based on, told EW in 2017 that she’d read a version of a script. “There is a script for the third movie,” Hathaway also revealed on Watch What Happens Live in 2019. “There is a script. 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.”
In the same interview with Andy Cohen, Hathaway hinted at the team’s reservations. “It’s just, we don’t want to do it unless it’s perfect, because we love it just as much as you guys love it,” she said. “It’s as important to us as it is to you and we don’t want to deliver anything until it’s ready. But we’re working on it.”
“Hopefully there’ll be more about Genovia,” Cabot told Town & Country in April 2022. “I know Disney’s very interested in doing more, but, you know, we just [have to get] the gang back together. It is hard in today’s day and age with everybody’s busy schedules, and of course COVID is not helping.”
In November 2022, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Aadrita Mukerji is penning a script for a third Princess Diaries for Disney. The film is not a reboot, rather a continuation of the series. In October 2024, it was confirmed that Flora Greeson is writing the script for Princess Diaries 3.
The movie would likely honor late director Garry Marshall.
Frederick M. Brown//Getty Images
Anne Hathaway, Garry Marshall, and Julie Andrews at the premiere of The Princess Diaries 2.
Marshall, known for his work on movies like Pretty Woman and Beaches, directed the first two Princess Diaries movies. Hope for a third movie first started in 2016, when Marshall revealed that he was speaking to Disney about The Princess Diaries 3. Sadly, not long after, Marshall passed away at the age of 81.
Julie Andrews told BuzzFeed News in 2017, “I think we might do it in honor of [Marshall]… Annie had an idea that she wanted to pursue about it, and I’m all for it, so if she’d like to.”
