'Mamma Mia!' movie producer claims Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson won't agree to a third installment because the musicians think 'there aren't enough songs.'
- Feb 12, 2024
AceShowbiz - Judy Craymer says ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are blocking "Mamma Mia! 3". The 66-year-old producer wants add another movie to the musical franchise - which features the songs of the Swedish pop superstars - but the songwriters don't think there's enough good material left in their back catalogue to make it work.
"A third movie is something I want to do very much. The studio wants to do it. Benny and Bjorn need a bit more persuasion. They're saying, 'There aren't enough songs.' And I say, 'There are enough songs and I know how they could work'. There is so much you can do with those songs," Judy told the Daily Starr Sunday newspaper.
Judy believes she'd have no problem convincing cast members including Amanda Seyfried and Dame Julie Walters to return for a third film, following the success of the first two instalments in 2008 and 2018.
She added, "The cast had a great time making the first two films. Julie said she is going to retire from acting, but the one thing she would still do is another Mamma Mia! film. I really think there's big love from the people who worked on the films and also from the audiences. All the generations enjoy it."
But the producer won't be rushing any third film if it gets the green light. She added, "It will take time. Nothing happens that fast. But I hope it does happen."
The producer previously revealed that her ideas for the new film involve bringing back popular characters such as Meryl Streep's Donna –-who had died in the events of the 2018 film "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" - and Cher's Ruby, mother to Donna and grandmother to Sophie (Seyfried).
She told Deadline last year, "It's in its earliest stages. I don't want to over-egg it, but I know there's a trilogy there. There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back - and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna."
