'Princess Diaries 3' Officially in the Works

The long-awaited third entry in The Princess Diaries series might finally become a reality. Anne Hathaway, who starred in the first two films, has publicly endorsed the idea of returning as Mia Thermopolis, but efforts to make a third movie have never come together. As recently as last month, Hathaway said she was "pulling for" a Princess Diaries 3.

Disney hired Aadrita Mukerji to write Princess Diaries 3, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Sources told the site it will be a continuation of the story established in the first two films and not a reboot. Debra Martin Chase, who produced the earlier films, will produce and Melissa Stack is executive producing. Hathaway has not signed on to return yet, but Disney has high hopes to get her back if the project moves beyond the initial script stage.

Mukerji is best known for her work on television. She was a writer on The CW's Supergirl and CBS' Scorpion. She is now working on Amazon Prime Video's Reacher and is a co-executive producer on NBC's Quantum Leap reboot. She began her career as an assistant to New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether, according to her IMDb page.

Hathaway has repeatedly talked about wanting to make another Princess Diaries movie whenever she is asked about it. In late October, while promoting Armageddon Time, Hathaway told Entertainment Tonight she would "more than entertain" a Princess Diaries 3. "If there's any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work," Hathaway said. "We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen."

Julie Andrews was asked about it in June when she attended her American Film Institute tribute. She suggested it was "too late to do it now," after the death of director Garry Marshall in 2016. "[For] especially me, it's too far down the line now to go back to it. It's a lovely thought, but I don't think it would probably be possible," Andrews told THR at the time.

The Princess Diaries opened in 2001 and is based on Meg Cabot's novel of the same name. The story centers on Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), an unpopular American student who learns she is the sole heir to the European kingdom of Genovia. Her estranged paternal grandmother, Clarisse (Andrews) takes it upon herself to prepare Mia for taking the throne.

The first film established Hathaway as a major Hollywood star. Hathaway, Andrews, Marshall, and most of the original cast returned for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Although the 2004 sequel was not as well received, it still grossed over $134 million worldwide. The sequel also featured a pre-Star Trek Chris Pine and was written by a pre-Grey's Anatomy Shonda Rhimes. Both Princess Diaries films are available to stream on Disney+.