Actress Anne Hathaway attends a special screening of “Serenity” at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
College students today were practically raised on the heart-warming antics of Genovia’s royal family. We all look back fondly on Julie Andrews mattress surfing, Anne Hathaway foot popping and Hector Elizondo’s line: “I have never put on pantyhose before, but it sounds dangerous.” Yet never, not in our wildest dreams, did we think a third movie was on its way. But as of last week, Hathaway changed everything.
“There is a script for the third movie…. There is a script,” Hathaway told Andy Cohen in an interview. “I want to do it. Julie [Andrews] wants to do it. Debra Martin Chase, our producer, wants to do it. We all really want it to happen. It’s just we don’t want to unless it’s perfect, because we love it just as much as you guys love it. It’s as important to us as it is to you, and we don’t want to deliver anything until it’s ready, but we’re working on it, so…”
The script is written or at least partially completed. The two main characters are on board. Even the producer of the original movies wants to come back. According to ELLE, it was reported in 2017 that love interest Chris Pine, best friend Heather Matarazzo and mean girl Mandy Moore are all open to a third movie. All we’re missing is the original director Garry Marshall, who unfortunately died in 2016.
Just prior to Marshall’s death, he had dropped hints that a movie might be in the works shortly after Hathaway had her baby, which she has since had. He also hinted that the film may be set in Manhattan. In 2017, Andrews told Buzzfeed that if a third movie were to happen, it would likely be a tribute to Marshall.
“I think we might do it in honor of him [Marshall],” Andrews said. “Annie had an idea that she wanted to pursue about it, and I’m all for it, so if she’d like to….”
If this is true, Pine is even more likely to participate in the third movie, since, according to an interview Marshall had with People Magazine, Pine and him have a long history.
“Chris Pine and my kids went to similar schools, so I knew him as a kid,” Marshall said.
While little is known about the plot of the movie, many predict it may be based on Meg Cabot’s book “Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel,” which was released in 2015. While there have always been discrepancies between the book series and the movies, there is some correlation in setting with what Marshall said.
“For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements,” Amazon’s plot summary of the book said.
Between this and what Marshall said, it looks like the movie will be taking place in New York City after all. That, unfortunately, is where the possible plot stops, considering that Hathaway’s character didn’t end up with Michael and had a dead father in the movies, but married Michael and had a living father in the books. However, if the film is based on the general theme of the book, it may center on either the wedding between Hathaway and Pine’s characters or on the beginning of their marriage and consequential rule of Genovia.
Despite the 15 long years that have gone by since “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” the fanbase for the franchise is still alive and well and more than ready for their “The Princess Diaries 3” dreams to come true.
Rebecca Maher is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at rebecca.l.maher@uconn.edu.
