Pack your tiaras and book a one-way flight to Genovia because The Princess Diaries 3 is inching closer to reality — and for once it’s not just another rumour fluttering around the Genovian grapevine.
With Anne Hathaway confirming that she will return as Mia Thermopolis in Disney’s long-awaited threequel — more than 20 years after Royal Engagement had us imagining corgi-filled palace corridors and questionable Genovian electoral law.
But Hathaway’s comeback isn’t the only news. We now have a glimpse at the plot and a brand new character.
Here’s everything we know about The Princess Diaries 3.
Who is cast in The Princess Diaries 3
Anne Hathaway took to Instagram in October to revel in her excitement around the news, sharing a video of herself recreating her legendary line reading of “shut up!” from the original The Princess Diaries.
Ratcheting up the nostalgia an extra notch, Hathaway paired the video with the song “Miracles Happen (When You Believe)”, which featured in the original film and subsequently soundtracked my entire teenage years.
“The fairy tale continues,” the actress wrote in the caption, fulfilling the dreams of the little version of me who thought Genovia was an actual place.
Hathaway’s return as Mia Thermopolis — the student-turned-princess who takes off her glasses and realises she was beautiful all along — isn’t the only new tidbit we got about Princess Diaries 3, which will serve as the follow-up to 2004’s sequel, Royal Engagement.
Word is still out on whether Lady Whistledown herself, Julie Andrews — who played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the first two movies — will return for Princess Diaries 3.
Personally, my most pressing cast request is Sandra Oh, whose portrayal of Vice Principal Gupta altered my brain chemistry. It goes without saying, but we don’t need Lilly.
Who is directing and writing The Princess Diaries 3?
It was also revealed that the threequel has tapped a new director in Adele Lim, who has previously helmed movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon. Flora Greeson, meanwhile, will pen the script.
The movie has reportedly been in development since 2022.
What is the plot for The Princess Diaries 3?
If you didn’t know, The Princess Diaries movies are based on the books of the same name by Meg Cabot. Thanks to a casting call, we know where the plot is heading towards.
According to a casting notice shared via Instagram, Disney is on the hunt for a 15-year-old actor of mixed race to play Olivia Robinson — a character who appears in Cabot’s continuation novels.
As per the notice, Olivia is “smart, sarcastic… and hiding sadness behind caustic wit” after recently losing her mum. Beneath the prickly exterior, she’s described as compassionate, brave and — crucially — “a natural born leader”. In the books, Olivia turns out to be Mia’s half-sister, the secret daughter of Mia’s dad, Phillipe.
The storyline reportedly draws from Cabot’s Royal Wedding, with Mia juggling pregnancy (twins!) and an upcoming royal wedding when she discovers Olivia and ends up fighting a custody battle for her. If that holds, expect the movie to bring together palace-level mess with step-sibling drama.
Coincidentally, another one of Hathaway’s iconic films is also getting a long-awaited sequel, as we collectively gird our loins in anticipation for the Devil Wears Prada 2. You can find everything we know about that project HERE.
We don’t yet know whether Hathaway will return for that project, but between Princess Diaries 3, Shrek 5 and the live-action Rugrats, my hunger for nostalgic reboots is (mostly) satisfied.
Lead image: The Princess Diaries
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