Fans of the Princess Diaries rejoice: it seems there will finally be a third installment of the popular Disney-produced series of teen comedy films. Based on "The Princess Diaries" young adult novel series by Meg Cabot, the first film was shot within a year after the first book came out in 2000; the second film was released in 2004. Now, after an interval of thirteen long, long years of rumors and hopes, dreams, and expectations, there are some pretty strong signs that a third film is in the works, which would extend the lifespan of the film series to a whopping sixteen years.
Anne Hathaway was hired for the role of Mia because Garry Marshall's granddaughters saw her audition tape and said she had the best "princess hair."
First of all, the cast, in particular prominent and acclaimed actors Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada", "Les Misérables") and Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins"," The Sound of Music"), have long since been positive about their experiences on the set of "The Princess Diaries", and have publicly expressed their willingness to consider taking up the roles of Princess Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) and her grandmother Queen Dowager Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews). By the way, so have Heather Matarazzo (Mia's best friend Lilly) Héctor Elizondo (Clarisse Renaldi's partner Joseph), and Chris Pine (Mia's partner, Nicholas). The director of the first two films, Garry Marshall, had mentioned sometime in 2016 that he and Hathaway had discussed a third film. It seems Hathaway had some ideas to discuss with her former director after the first two films, which are about *slightly* awkward and less-than-popular teen Mia, who finds out she is actually the heir to the throne of the small nation of Genovia. What follows is the process of learning how to behave like royalty, which process is full of adjustment issues and makeovers. Marshall sadly passed away in 2016, and Andrews has said that while this is a definite setback, it does not mean that a third Princess Diaries film is no longer within the realm of possibility. Apparently, Andrews and Hathaway are still keen on the idea and would consider it a fitting tribute to Marshall.
In January 2016, during a fan Q & A for Entertainment Weekly, Pine was asked_: "Don't you pray every night for a Princess Diaries 3?" And of_ course_, he replied:"Have you been reading my diary???"_
On top of the lead actresses' enthusiasm for the project, the author of the original series of young adult novels, Meg Cabot, has confirmed that there is already a script for a third film. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Cabot said that while she is not at liberty to discuss the contents of the said script, it looks like it will be more in line with the other two films, rather than sticking strictly to "the Princess Diaries" book series. Cabot says that while there are definitely differences between the films and the books, she thinks of them as being equally entertaining and equally liked by fans.
While we patiently wait, we'll be watching the first two movies again and again. And yes, mattress surfing may totally be included.
In short: there's a lot to be excited about for those "Princess Diaries" fans who have been waiting for a sequel for nearly a decade and a half, and while there are still some ifs and buts to the story, not to mention it might take a while to produce a film that is a worthy successor to the first two installments, the combination of a confirmed script and the cast's enthusiasm bodes well. Either way, if a third film doesn't happen (for now), there's always Cabot's eleven Princess books to enjoy while we wait.