ON THE COVER Mamma Mia 2!
Six things you need to know!
IS MERYL BACK?
Can Donna really be dead? Surely not! However, that’s the rumour that’s been going around ever since her conspicuous absence from the trailer released earlier this year and group pictures of the cast from the sequel to the 2008 hit movie. Amanda Seyfried, who reprises her role as Sophie, commented on the mystery in an interview back in March, which seemed to suggest we shouldn’t give up hope quite yet… “You do see her. Mer yl is very much a part of this movie. No, there are absolutely no flashbacks. No, because all the ‘flashbacks’ are of Lily [James] playing Donna. So it’s a prequel and a sequel, and so you see Meryl is ver y much a part of it.”
WHAT MUSIC WILL BE IN IT?
Last month the first song was officially released from the soundtrack to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and, boy, did it get us excited for the film release! After all, who could fail to love the sounds of Cher and Andy Garcia belting out one of Abba’s greatest hits, Fernando? Timed to tie in with the 10-year anniversar y of the first film’s release, there promises to be plenty of sing-along hits in the new movie including Waterloo and When I Kissed The Teacher –a fabulous mix of old classics as well as some hits not featured in the original film. The good news is, the soundtrack will be released this Friday so we can all practise and be note per fect by the time the film is out on July 20!
WHAT’S THE PLOT?
Unusually, the film will be both a prequel and a sequel – a fact confirmed earlier this year to Digital Spy by Abba’s Benny Andersson. “It’s about ever ything that happened before they ended up on Kalokairi island,” Benny said. “It’s Donna when she was young, and what happened when she met the three dads – as well as what happened after the previous film finishes.” The story will follow a pregnant Sophie as she explores more of her mother’s past on the island with the help and support of Tanya and Rosie, her mother’s best friends. In a series of flashbacks she discovers more about her three dads and her mother’s experience as a single mother and also receives a surprise visit from her grandmother, Ruby Sheridan.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE FOR FANS?
This year is going to be quite simply Abba-tastic! If you love their music, the coming months have much in store – and not just the film. At the end of last year, Abba had an extra-special Christmas gift for their fans when they announced they had finally got together to produce their first new material in 35 years. The first of two songs, I Still Have Faith In You, is likely to be released in December. Fans can also look forward to Abba’s avatar tour where a virtual reality version of the quartet will go on tour in 2019.
WHO WILL STAR IN MAMMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN?
Fans will be delighted to know that the majority of the cast featured in the first movie have made a return for the sequel. Amanda Seyfried will be back as Sophie, the handsome Dominic Cooper returns as Sky and of course all of Sophie’s “dads” will be back on the scene – Stellan Skarsgard as Bill, Pierce Brosnan as Sam and Colin Firth as Harry. Christine
ABBA have produced their FIRST NEW MATERIAL in 35 years
Baranski and Julie Walters will also be back as Tanya and Rosie to guide Sophie through her pregnancy and life on the island. There will also be plenty of new cast members in the mix including the fabulous Lily James who will play a young Donna in the flashback scenes. Other new cast members we’re very excited about are Andy Garcia who plays the lovely Fernando and, of course Cher, who plays Ruby Sheridan, Sophie’s grandmother.
WHERE IS THE FILM SET AND FILMED?
Like the first film, the sequel is set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi but the actual filming location has seen a dramatic change. Ten years ago all the filming was completed on the stunning Greek island of Skopelos but this time production was moved to Vis, a
beautiful island just off Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. The crew took over the entire island for six weeks last year, transforming the beautiful location into the Greek hideaway we all know and love from the first film. In case you ever fancy paying a visit, most of the action takes place in the village of Komiza and the stunning Stiniva beach on the south coast.