Julie Andrews has confirmed she will not appear in the upcoming Princess Diaries 3, now in active development at Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel, which marks 25 years since the original film's release, will see Anne Hathaway reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, but without Andrews as Queen Clarisse.
Story moves to Princess Mia
Andrews, who turns 91 today, told People magazine that the new film's story will focus on Mia as the ruling monarch of Genovia. "I'm not going to be in it," she said. "I think the story is slightly different, and I'm not quite sure how they're dealing with that. But it's too late for me to do it."
She added: "I think the story has to continue in Princess Mia. It's her story. It's not really mine."
Hathaway on Andrews' absence
Anne Hathaway responded to Andrews' decision with warmth, saying: "Oh… First of all, I just want to say if she has a change of heart, we're down! Just anything, really."
"But we also want to be respectful," Hathaway continued. "If anybody has contributed like to the world of entertainment and to our collective joy, it's her. Whatever she wants, we completely understand. We did push really hard to see if she would want to do it."
Fans' expectations for the sequel
Hathaway remained tight-lipped about the plot but shared her vision for the film. "I just want—I just want it to be fun," she said. "The women who were six when the first one came out, now a lot of whom are now mothers themselves, maybe even with six-year-olds, I want them to feel like they're bringing their children to something that mattered to them, a core memory for them, something that was a part of their heart and their lives."
She added: "And that means doing it justice, and that means taking the time that it takes to really build it right. That's a lot of pressure, but I feel like this is a great team."
