Get ready to return to Genovia as The Princess Diaries 3 is officially in development. Disney has hired Adele Lim (Joy Ride) in helming the third film with Anne Hathaway reprising her iconic role.
The Princess Diaries was based off a series of books by Meg Cabot and adapted into film in 2001 from the late director Gary Marshall. Hathaway starred as Mia Thermopolis, an everyday teenager growing up in San Francisco who discovered she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia, a European nation, and chooses to go to Genovia and learn the ways of the monarchy from her grandmother, Queen Clarisse played by Mary Poppins legend Julie Andrews.
The film was a hit and helped launch Hathaway’s career. A sequel was made in 2004, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement with Hathaway and Andrews returning. The two films also starred Héctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Caroline Goodall, Chris Pine, Callum Blue, John Rhys Davies, Sandra Oh and Sean O’Bryan.
For years, especially in the last few with the rise of legacy sequels or rebooting long-dormant franchises, a popular question for Hathaway has been whether or not she’d ever make Princess Diaries 3. A script was apparently written a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it while Andrews said a couple years ago it might be unlikely she’d reprise Queen Clarisse should they ever develop it.
However, while we await word on Andrews, Hathaway has already confirmed she is back on board with a post on social media…
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Lim is known for her directorial debut Joy Ride, but before taking the director’s chair she wrote Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon.
“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,” Lim said. “We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published October 4, 2024. Updated October 5, 2024.
