‘Mamma Mia 2’ May Have Killed off a Favorite Character and Fans Aren’t Happy

The trailer for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! was officially released on Thursday, and fans are already speculating about the eagerly anticipated film.

The sequel to 2008’s Mamma Mia follows a pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) as her mom Donna’s (Meryl Streep) best friends Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) arrive in Greece to help her on her journey. Judging from a few moments in the trailer, however, some fans are speculating that Donna herself might not be there to help Sophie because she has passed away.

In the clip, Rosie, tells Sophie, “Your mother was the bravest person we ever knew. Let me tell you how she did it, all on her own.” The trailer also sees Sophie tell Sky (Dominic Cooper), “I’ve never felt closer to my mom. She wasn’t scared because she had me.” Sophie is also seen performing with Tanya and Rosie in the spot Donna previously occupied in the first film.

These past-tense references to Donna certainly make it seem like she may have died, something fans weren’t too happy to think about.

While Streep is credited as an actor in the film, her appearances could be in flashback scenes used to remember Donna. She also only appears in the trailer in scenes from the first movie.

Along with Sophie’s story, the movie also cuts back to a young Donna (Lily James) as she falls in love with Sophie’s three possible dads, played in present-day action by Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth. The trailer also offers the first glimpse of Cher as Sophie’s grandmother, which is reason enough on its own to see the film.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! arrives in theaters on July 20, 2018.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures