Miracles happen! Princess Diaries 3 is one step closer to a reality now that director Adele Lim is attached to the project. Deadline exclusively reported the development, sharing that this will be Lim’s second project with Disney after directing the animated 2021 movie Raya and the Last Dragon. Lim also penned the script for the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians and made her directorial debut with 2023’s Joy Ride.
“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,” Lim told Deadline. Naia Cucukov, Lim’s producing partner, and Melissa Stack will executive produce Princess Diaries 3. Debra Martin Chase is producing the project.
Based on Meg Cabot’s novel, 2001’s The Princess Diaries follows American teen Mia Thermopolis as she learns she is Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of the European country Genovia. Her paternal grandmother, Clarisse Renaldi, portrayed by the legendary Julie Andrews, is Genovia’s Queen. 2004’s sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, follows Mia when she discovers she must marry before becoming the Queen of Genovia. The movie ends with Mia’s coronation as the Queen of Genovia – without a man by her side. The late director Garry Marshall directed both films.
A third film in the franchise has been a possibility for years. Anne Hathaway, who starred as Mia Thermopolis, expressed interest in reprising her role in an interview with ET in October 2022. “I would more than entertain it, I’m pulling for it. 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,” Hathaway shared.
By November 2022, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported that Supergirl and Reacher writer Aadrita Mukerji was set to pen the script for a third movie. Martin Chase and Stack were also attached in their respective producing roles. However, at that time, Hathaway did not have a deal to return. In the meantime, Julie Andrews shared her thoughts on a potential Princess Diaries 3 with The Hollywood Reporter. Andrews said:
“I think we know that it’s probably not going to be possible. It was talked about very shortly after two came out, but it’s 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. I think it would be too late to do it now. There was talk of a sequel many, many years ago. But I don’t think it ever came to pass. And Garry then did leave us. [For] especially me, it’s too far down the line now to go back to it. It’s a lovely thought, but I don’t think it would probably be possible.”
An update came from Hathaway in January 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival. “[It’s] thrilling [to] see the level of excitement for it. We feel the exact same, and I know it’s probably very frustrating [waiting],” Hathaway told People. “It’s a process that requires patience, and so everybody should consider themselves a part of the movie business now, because this is how long it actually takes to make things,” Hathaway added.
Finally, Hathaway said, “We’re in a good place,” when referring to the project in an interview with V Magazine in April 2024. “That’s all I can say. There’s nothing to announce yet. But we’re in a good place,” Hathaway added.
Also, Chris Pine, who starred as Mia’s love interest, Nicholas Devereaux, in The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement, has spoken about another addition to the Disney film franchise. “Princess Diaries 3, where is it?’ Have you been reading my diary? I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything about it,” Pine told Entertainment Weekly in May 2024.
Now, two decades after The Princess Diaries: The Royal Engagement debuted in theaters, there are more solid developments for Princess Diaries 3. Shortly after the news broke, Anne Hathaway confirmed her return in the new project on Instagram. Writing, in part, “The fairy tale continues.” So, a return to Genovia is within reach – now more than ever. If everything works out, we may finally see what Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi is like as the Queen of Genovia. It’s time to grab the pear-flavored popcorn!
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The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement are streaming on Disney+ now.
