Anne Hathaway has given us some of the most iconic characters of recent decades, from Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises and Dr. Amelia Brand in Interstellar to, of course, Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. Fans will get to see plenty of Hathaway on the big screen this year, starting with her return as Andy in The Devil Wears Prada 2 last month, and the debut of David Lowery’s psychological thriller Mother Mary in April.
The actress is also keeping busy with several other high-profile projects. This summer, Hathaway stars as Penelope alongside Matt Damon in the titular role and Tom Holland as her son Telemachus, in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. She is also the co-lead of David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street, alongside Ewan McGregor, where she’s set to face off against dinosaurs in the twisty sci-fi mystery. With so many major projects on the horizon, Hathaway fans have plenty to look forward to. However, there’s one role in particular that audiences have been hoping she’ll revisit for years: Mia Thermopolis. And with each new promising update, the wait for Princess Diaries 3 seems even shorter.
Fans were overjoyed when a third movie in the Princess Diaries franchise was announced. The beloved original movie has been a comfort watch for many fans growing up and is considered a cult classic owing to its popularity and impact on pop culture. In a recent interview, Hathaway reaffirmed that they are “constantly working” on the threequel. She further explained that The Devil Wears Prada 2 is the reason why the project has been delayed, because it “cropped up unexpectedly and took over the space.” So, while filming the sequel, “it became impossible to focus on both at the same time.” With The Devil Wears Prada 2 behind the actress, it seems likely that her next big project will be this long-awaited threequel.
The Princess Diaries follows Mia, a clumsy, shy, American teen, who discovers that she’s the princess of a small European state. Over the course of two movies, we see her transform into a princess as she navigates love, life, and high school. Seeing Mia as an adult is on the bucket list of many millennial fans. Hathaway confirmed, “the intention is to make Princess Diaries hopefully next,” though she did caution that a third film “is not greenlit or confirmed yet.” While a script hasn’t been finalized, Hathaway is bringing the wisdom of working on Devil Wears Prada 2 to Princess Diaries, “If I learned anything from [Devil Wears Prada 2], it’s that expectations are very, very high, and if you’re going to do it, you have to knock it out of the park,” she says.
Who Else Has Expressed an Interest to Return for ‘The Princess Diaries 3’?
While details about the sequel remain scarce, several cast members have expressed enthusiasm about returning to Genovia. Speaking in 2024, Chris Pine, who played Nicholas Devereaux in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, admitted he hadn’t received any updates, saying, “I don’t know anything. Call Disney! Honestly, I don’t know anything about it. I think it’s fantastic.” Meanwhile, John Rhys-Davies, who portrayed his uncle, Viscount Mabrey, joked with us about reprising his role in 2024, quipping, “Of course I would [want to return]. I think I should be prime minister. I was going to be prime minister, I should have been prime minister.”
Earlier this year, Robert Schwartzman, who played Mia’s high school love interest Michael Moscovitz in the original film, also addressed the possibility of returning. “For me, I’m just in standing-by mode waiting to see what the filmmakers want to do with this next chapter. If they want to bring Michael back to be a part of the journey of the characters, I’m obviously happy to support the efforts of the filmmakers,” he said, noting that fans frequently tell him, “‘I need Michael back. I want Michael back.'” Schwartzman added that he has heard the creative team is beginning to shape the next chapter, though “I don’t know much beyond that.”
The project took a significant step forward in 2024 when Disney tapped Joy Ride director Adele Lim to helm the sequel. Last month, Lim teased that longtime fans can expect familiar faces to return, saying, “If you were a fan of the original first two movies, I think you can look forward to a lot of fun returns.” She also revealed plans to showcase Genovia on a larger scale than ever before. “We’re going to be able to shoot in Europe and really show the audience Genovia in its full glory.”
For Lim, however, the sequel is about more than nostalgia. “We just want to make the story right because it is a franchise that is so beloved by so many people,” she explained. Rather than revisiting Mia’s journey of becoming a princess, Lim hopes to explore what comes after happily ever after, adding, “There are so many movies that are wish fulfillment for princesses; we don’t have a lot of wish-fulfillment movies for queens. That’s what we are setting out to do here, to show a woman in her full power.”
While the third installment of The Princess Diaries is still in development, there is no shortage of Hathaway in theaters this year. You can watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 in theaters now, and The Odyssey on July 17 and The End of Oak Street on August 14.
via Collider