It’s been over twenty years since we checked in with Genovia’s princess. In 2001, Anne Hathaway starred in the adaptation of Meg Cabot’s novel The Princess Diaries about an American teenager named Mia Thermopolis who discovers she’s the heir to the fictional country’s throne. In 2004, the sequel Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement explored Mia’s obligation to marry for her country and crown. Now, Mia is probably around 40 years old and has fully stepped into her role as queen. What kind of grown-up adventures—and drama—will the royal face now?
We shall soon find out. On October 4, it was confirmed that Adele Lim had signed on to direct and Anne Hathaway took to Instagram to confirm that “the fairy tale continues.” Also on board are screenwriter Flora Greeson and producer Debra Martin Chase, who was behind the originals. Adele Lim is best known for for co-writing the screenplay Crazy Rich Asians and directed the recent comedy 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,” she said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
Over the past two years of development, Hathaway has hinted that the project might happen.
“I would more than entertain it, I’m pulling for it,” Hathaway said in 2022. “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.”
As for Julie Andrews, who played Queen Clarisse Renaldi, her participation has yet to be confirmed and really depends on the status of her character. The 87-year-old musical icon told Entertainment Tonight earlier in 2022, “I might just be a little too old, a granny for it, I don’t know. It depends what the story is, and if they can come up with something, that would be wonderful. But if not, there will be other things.”
It would be a crushing blow for fans if Andrews didn’t make it to Genovia one last time. Hathaway told People in 2019 that she knew early on that The Princess Diaries would be a hit and that working with Andrews was a “dream come true.”
“Getting the script, it just had that feeling,” she said. “I touched it, and it was electric.”
She added, “Getting to make it and be on set every day, I got to hug Julie Andrews every day. That part was also very, very, very magical. Then it came out and it was received. That part even, by the way, was magical.”
In her official announcement video Hathaway proclaimed “Miracles happen, back to Genovia with Adele Lim, Disney and Somewhere Pictures.”
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