There are few genres quite as universally successful as big movie musicals. While not all musicals get the critical acclaim of La La Land or Chicago, there's something classic and nostalgic about watching actors sing and dance on the silver screen. Case in point: Mamma Mia!, which made a ton of money when it hit theaters back in 2008. Based off the hit Broadway musical of the same name, Meryl Streep lead the ensemble cast in the fun and sugary romp featuring the beloved catalogue of ABBA. A sequel, lovingly titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, is set to arrive this summer, although the first trailers were noticeably missing Streep's character, Donna. Now the final trailer has hit, and it really looks like Here We Go Again may kill off its protagonist.
Things aren't looking so good for Donna, as she's once again largely missing out from the upcoming sequel's trailer. While we've got a few new shots of Meryl Streep decked out as a member of The Dynamos, the other characters mostly seem to be referring to her in the past tense.
This new trailer for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again offers tons of fun moments, as well as some new songs that weren't included in the original movie. As we've seen from previous footage, the new movie will exist in two different timelines. While the present will follow Sophie's pregnancy and journey to motherhood, we'll also be privy to the events from Donna's diary. A young version of Meryl's character (Lily James) and her friends will interact with Donna's three suitors, get pregnant with Sophie, and you know the rest.
It looks like Sophie has taken on the island from her mother, and the hotel and accommodations are looking better than when we saw them in Mamma Mia! Sophie's fiancee (still?) reveals she wanted to make her mother proud, which certainly sounds like an ominous line to include in the trailer. It's unclear what party Sophie is throwing on the island, but maybe she's finally getting married to Sky. After all, Donna kind of hijacked the wedding last time. Overall, the possibility of Donna being killed off certainly seem wild, especially since Merl Streep was announced to be returning shortly after Here We Go Again was greenlit.
Aside from the fate of Donna, much of the excitement over Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again revolves around ABBA's catalogue. The legendary pop band has as ton of great hits, most of which were included in the first movie, and it's preceding musical. The sequel's first trailer revealed that songs like "Mamma Mia" were going to once again appear in the sequel, indicating that reprises and new versiosn of the same songs will likely be used throughout. But there are also some new songs featured, which will make hardcore ABBA fans everywhere happy.
Early in the trailer we hear the classic jam "Waterloo". While this song was played during the credits scene, it wasn't a bonafide scene in the first film. But Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again will change that, and I think we can actually hear Pierce Brosnan's signature gravelly singing along in the new trailer. Cher also makes another appearance as Sophie's grandmother, and it looks like she'll be singing "Fernando" and hopefully more classics during the sequel.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again will arrive in theaters on July 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
