Shut. Up. Because The Princess Diaries 3 is finally happening!
It has been more than two decades since Anne Hathaway broke out onto the scene with her performance as Mia Thermoplis in Garry Marshall's 2001 Cinderella story The Princess Diaries, and a few years longer than that since the Academy Award winner returned to Genovia in 2004's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. And now, we know for sure that the third film is finally happening.
But who is going to star in this film? And who is going to direct it now? This is what we know so far.
What Is The Princess Diaries 3 Release Date?
At the time of updating this, in October 2024, there is no set release date for The Princess Diaries 3, which isn’t that surprising, as the movie was only just confirmed earlier this month. But that means that it’s not releasing on any 2024 movie schedule – and it’s too soon to say if there’s a chance it’ll find a spot on the 2025 movie schedule.
Even so, the fact that anything is confirmed, regardless, is great to hear, considering this is something that has been in the works for years.
The Princess Diaries 3 Cast
When it comes to The Princess Diaries 3 cast, we have some info on who is going to be back. Here’s what we know so far:
Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis
So far, there’s only one confirmed cast member for The Princess Diaries 3, and that, my friends, is Anne Hathaway, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news of both Hathaway’s involvement, and who would direct the film. She will return as Mia Thermopolis.
In fact, Hathaway even posted about her return in a TikTok video in October 2024, celebrating her return to the world of Genova:
@annehathaway ♬ original sound - Anne Hathaway
Honestly, Hathaway exploded onto the scene because of movies like The Princess Diaries in the early 2000s, alongside her starring roles in films like Ella Enchanted and The Devil Wears Prada (which is also getting a sequel now twenty years later). Hathaway has certainly had an incredible career since then. Anne Hathaway’s best films have included movies like The Intern, The Dark Knight Rises, and of course, Les Miserables, which earned her an Academy Award.
But the fact that we’re returning back to the movies that truly made her a star, more than two decades later, makes me grin so hard.
Who Else Will Return For Princess Diaries 3?
At the time of updating this in October 2024, there are no other cast members confirmed from either film. Here are some of the actors (and their characters) featured in the first two movies:
- Julie Andrews as Clarisse Renaldi
- Héctor Elizondo as Joe
- Heather Matarazzo as Lilly Moscovitz
- Mandy Moore as Lana Thomas
- Caroline Goodall as Helen Thermopolis
- Robert Schwartzman as Michael Moscovitz
- Erik Von Detten as Josh Bryant
- Sean O'Bryan as Patrick O'Connell
- Sandra Oh as Geraldine Gupta
- Chris Pine as Nicholas Deveraux
Some have already expressed their interest in returning to the franchise if it were to move forward. Co-star Julie Andrews, who played Mia’s grandmother (who was the former queen), has been in support of a new film, but as recently as March 2024 didn’t know if it was moving forward and believed it to be “shelved.” However, with it confirmed, who knows? We might end up seeing her back.
Chris Pine, the love interest of the second film (and also another breakout star who has had an amazing career since), has expressed interest since the announcement of the new film. He tells fans to “contact Bob Iger” and get him in the new film because he “didn’t know anything” in a new interview with The Today Show in October 2024:
I don’t know anything…call Disney! Call Bob Iger!...I don’t know anything about it. I think it’s fantastic.
Several other stars from the former two films have shown interest as well, like Sandra Oh, Mandy Moore and more. Truthfully, I’m just waiting to hear the cast announcements for this, and I for one cannot wait to see who comes back – and who will join this long-awaited sequel.
What Is The Princess Diaries 3 Going To Be About?
So, obviously, we have no idea what The Princess Diaries 3 will be about. The first two films loosely followed the novels by Meg Cabot, but now that it’s been twenty years later, who knows what the new film would follow. The last movie ended with Mia becoming the queen of Genovia, opening a children’s home, allowing women into parliament and kissing Nicholas (Chris Pine). Who knows what the heck the new story will be about.
The original director, Gary Marshall, was working on a script back in April 2016 when he had a conversation on Larry King Now, where the director opened up about whatever he was working on regarding the story of Queen Mia:
Well, they talk about it. Disney always likes to announce things, so they tell Garry, 'Shut up, we'll announce it.' [Anne Hathaway] came to my office, she was quite pregnant… she puts her computer on the table, pushes three buttons, there's Julie Andrews on Skype in Long Island. And we have a meeting. I hope they do it.
However, the world was saddened by the death of the legendary film and television director at the age of 81 in just a few months later in July. .
Sadly, we won’t know what he was planning for the next film. According to The Hollywood Reporter article above, Melissa Stack is the latest to write the script for the new film, but no plot details have been released.
Adele Lim Will Direct
While it is devastating that Garry Marshall has passed on after previously directing the previous two installments, we do know who will be taking on the third film – and that’s Adele Lim, according to The Hollywood Reporter article above.
The director released a statement regarding her involvement, saying she’s been a “diehard fan” of the original movies and that she’s so excited to continue the story:
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 has worked on several high-profile films over the last few years, including writing the screenplay for Crazy Rich Asians, one of the best rom-coms out there, as well as writing Raya and the Last Dragon. She also directed the 2023 comedy film, Joy Ride, so I have faith that The Princess Diaries 3 will be in good hands.
Filming Will Hopefully Begin In 2025
The last piece of news that we know from The Hollywood Reporter article is that filming for The Princess Diaries 3 is planned to begin in 2025. Hopefully, that means we’re going to be getting a lot more updates regarding not only casting, but a release timeframe.
What are you excited for the most about The Princess Diaries 3? All I know is that this is my version of Top Gun Maverick and I will be sat with my mom after waiting basically my whole life for this sequel – and it better be in theaters.
