Eighteen years after The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement, Disney has confirmed that our favourite royal will return to the screen.
It’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since we saw the return of our favourite royal – Mia Thermopolis (played by Anne Hathaway) in The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement. For many of us, The Princess Diaries was our childhood. Though we might not have related exactly to a storyline of being an unsuspecting royal, the idea of feeling like an outsider at school, or that your talents lay outside the realm of ‘cool’, was one most could identify with. And naturally, we too wanted to be swept off our feet by the somewhat shy, a little awkward, band frontman who also had a way with car machinery – ah Michael, the man behind our first crush.
For the uninitiated, audiences were first introduced to Mia in 2004. Then, the shy, San Francisco teenager was simply trying to get by in high school unscathed, all-the-while pining for her first kiss. Her life was then thrown for a loop when her grandmother arrived, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (played by Julie Andrews), informing her that she is the heir apparent to the crown of the small European principality of Genovia.
Despite endless re-watches of both films, in the time that’s elapsed, most fans had largely given up hope on seeing a third instalment in the hugely successful franchise. Though director Garry Marshall had discussed the possibility of a third film in 2016, it seemed that plans were shelved entirely after his death later that year. But in what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, Disney has confirmed that Princess Diaries 3 is officially happening, so better dust off those faux-diamond tiaras.
According to reports, the third instalment is already underway with Supergirl writer Aadrita Mukerji working on the script. While Anne Hathway is yet to sign onto the project and reprise her role as Mia, it’s also unconfirmed whether Julie Andrews will return as Her Royal Highness. Debra Martin Chase however, who worked on the first two movies, will be returning to the third instalment, which has been deemed a continuation of the story and not a reboot.
While fans eagerly await news of Hathaway’s return, it appears the actor has always been keen to reprise a role that made her a beloved household name around the world. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she spoke of her excitement for a third film. “I would more than entertain it. I’m pulling for it,” said Hathway. “If there’s any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work. We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen.”
By all accounts, it appears Hathaway has been “pulling” for the film for some time, after first telling audiences on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that there was a script in the works. It seems safe to say that the script would have gone through a number of iterations and writers’ hands before landing in the lap of Aadrita.
While much of the project remains uncertain, it does seem likely that we will see Hathaway return to iconic role. The question remains on Andrews’ involvement, along with the likes of Heather Matarazzo’s quirky best friend, Lily, or Chris Pine’s charismatic and incredibly handsome, Nicholas Deveraux. While only time will tell, we’ve got our fingers-crossed that the third instalment arrives sooner rather than later. But given that we’ve already waited 18 years, what’s a few more? As the saying goes, all good things take time.
Source @womenshealth.com.au: Read more at : womenalive.org
