Mamma Mia 3? I do, I do, I do, declares Cher
CHER wants to be in the Mamma Mia 3 movie — sharing a duet with Meryl Streep. The stars, who’ve been friends since they made Silkwood in 1983, played mother and daughter in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again three years ago. Just to clarify: Cher (74) played Ruby Sheridan — mother of 71-yearold Streep’s Donna.
Cher recently told Mamma Mia! film and stage producer Judy Craymer ‘no one wants to see us old people on the screen again’. To which Craymer responded that she wanted to see her. And in particular, she wanted to see her and Streep, singing Slipping Through My Fingers.
That’s the same poignant number Meryl sang to her own screen daughter ( played by Amanda Seyfried) in the first film . . . 13 years ago.
Upon hearing that, Cher, who made a cover album of Abba hits, retorted: ‘I’m there! When do we start shooting?’
It would have to be some sort of flashback moment, though, because — spoiler alert — Meryl’s character, Donna, has died. ‘Oh well, you can do anything these days in a film,’ Craymer said.
The project is ‘sizzling’ in development while she awaits a tranche of new songs which Abba plan to release later this year. Plus, a script has to be written.
So don’t expect filming to begin until next year at the earliest.
But Craymer noted that the cast, including Julie Walters, Lily James, Colin Firth — as well as Ms Seyfried — have all publicly expressed their desire to be in MM!3. ‘Julie said she’d come out of retirement!’
Craymer exclaimed, adding: ‘I’ve always said it would be a trilogy.’
In the meantime, the Mamma Mia! mothership, which began life 22 years ago this week, will resume performances at the Novello Theatre on August 25, subject to government guidelines allowing shows to run without social distancing.
‘It’s about singing and dancing and having a good time,’ Craymer said. ‘People definitely want escapism, and this is fun to go to with your friends.’
MAZZ MURRAY, as Donna, and Emma Mullen, as Sophie, will star in the show, which will now have Tuesday as a rest day so that there can be a matinee performance on Sundays. Tickets for the new booking period, through until April 2 next year, will be on sale from noon today.
To ensure fans get into the mood for dancing, there’s the summer spectacular Mamma Mia! production, starring Sara Poyzer and Richard Standing, in the grounds of Harewood House in Leeds, with public shows from August 13-30.
A performance on August 12 will be an invitation-only event for NHS and key workers. n