The Princess Diaries 3is in the works and has the potential to bring back several key cast members from the previous movies. After years of speculation,Disney confirmedThe Princess Diaries 3was in development in November 2022. Two years later,The Princess Diaries 3landed its directorwith Adele Lim joining the project.Lim previously directed the 2023 comedyJoy Ride, which received a 90% critical score and 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Anne Hathaway has confirmed her return inPrincess Diaries 3as well, with a caption sharing that she is going"Back to Genovia"and that"The fairy tale continues.“Hathaway reprising her role as Genovia’s Queen Mia Thermopolis opens the door for other familiar cast membersto return as well. This includes actors who appeared inThe Princess DiariesandThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, along with actors who only appeared in one of these installments.
9Julie Andrews
Clarisse Renaldi
After Hathaway, no actor is more central toThe Princess Diariesmovies than Julie Andrews. Their relationship was the heart of both movies as the grandmother and granddaughter duo learned invaluable lessons from each other and shared many touching and hilarious moments. Mia is the official ruler of Genovia afterThe Princess Diaries 2’s ending, butClarisse Renaldi is still a prominent and adored public figure in Genovia, along with being Mia’s loving grandmother and mentor.
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A thirdPrincess Diariesmovie would feel incomplete without Andrews' distinguished and heartwarming presence. Even if her role is not as substantial as in the prior movies, and regardless of whatThe Princess Diaries 3’s story ends up being, Andrews needs to appear and share at least a scene or two with Mia. Clarisse will undoubtedly be proud of how far Mia has come, andit would be wonderful to see Clarisse enjoying her golden years with Joe as well.
8Chris Pine
Nicholas Devereaux
Chris Pine’sThe Princess Diaries 2role was his first in a feature film, years before he gained further recognition for his performances inStar Trek,Wonder Woman,Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and numerous other projects. Of all the new characters introduced in the sequel, Pine’s Lord Nicholas Devereaux was the clear standout, andit helped cement Pine’s reputation as a charming lead actor. Nicholas also has a satisfying arc as he abandons the plot for him to take the throne and empowers Mia instead.
It would be a full-circle moment for Pine’s career as he returns to the role that brought him much of his early recognition and that launched his path to stardom.
The Princess Diaries 3needs to address whether Mia and Nicholas are still together years later, and if so, the sequel needs to show how their relationship has evolved since the second movie. It would be a full-circle moment for Pine’s career as he returns to the role that brought him much of his early recognition and that launched his path to stardom. Nicholas' presence would also make sense since Hathaway has confirmed that the third movie is going back to Genovia.
7Héctor Elizondo
Joe
The chivalrous, kind and supportive Joe is one ofThe Princess Diaries' best charactersand should return in the sequel as well.Joe has always been one of Mia’s biggest supporters, believing in her and offering grace even when others doubted her and when she felt embarrassed or ashamed. Mia has become more confident in herself, but it would still be nice to see Joe cheering her on, with their lifelong friendship continuing during Mia’s reign.
If Andrews is reprising her role as Clarisse, this makes Héctor Elizondo’s return even more important after she and Joe got married inThe Princess Diaries 2. After their many years of service to Genovia,it is time for Clarisse and Joe to enjoy their retirement and their beautiful marriage. Years afterMonk’s series finale, Elizondo played Adrian Monk’s therapist, Dr. Neven Bell, again inMr. Monk’s Last Case, and now he also needs to come back to playThe Princess Diaries' Joe once more.
6Heather Matarazzo
Lilly Moscovitz
With Mia’s best friend, Lilly, appearing in both of the previousPrincess Diariesmovies, it only makes sense for her to return in the third one as well.Time and distance will have changed certain aspects of Mia and Lilly’s friendship, but they will undoubtedly remain best friends, with the bond they have had since childhood continuing to be strong. Lilly has always cared about social activism and there is no shortage of real-world social issues her character can address inThe Princess Diaries 3.
While Mia will have grown as the ruler of Genovia, it will be intriguing to see how Lilly has grown sinceThe Princess Diaries 2. Whether she travels to Genovia again or talks with Mia via video chats as they live their lives in separate countries,she is an important support system for Mia to have. Having Lilly come back can be a testament to the power of long-lasting friendships and work well with the overarching themes ofThe Princess Diariesfranchise.
5Robert Schwartzman
Michael Moscovitz
Robert Schwartzman did not return to play Michael Moscovitz inThe Princess Diaries 2because he was touring with his real-life band. The Princess Diaries 3can now bring Schwartzman back to provide more closure for Michael’s story. It would be intriguing to see how he feels about Mia’s romance with Nicholas and if he still has feelings for Mia.There could be a potential love triangle with Michael, Nicholas, and Miaif Michael unexpectedly reenters Mia’s life.
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He can return without there being a love triangle as well. If his sister, Lilly, is in the sequel, she can easily bring her brother into the story, with the siblings possibly traveling to Genovia together, or Mia traveling to the United States to see Lilly, where she runs into Michael.Michael’s absence inThe Princess Diaries 2was slightly jarring, but this can be amended by his return inThe Princess Diaries 3by showing what he is doing with his life, and it does not need to involve him and Mia rekindling their romance.
4Katherine Marshall
Charlotte Kutaway
Katherine Marshall’s Charlotte Kutaway may beThe Princess Diaries' most underrated character. Charlotte was Clarisse’s assistant and helped manage Clarisse’s busy schedule in Genovia and when they traveled to San Francisco in the first movie. By the end ofThe Princess Diaries 2,Charlotte moved up in the world and became a member of the Genovian Parliamentnow that women are allowed to be members following the changes that Mia instituted.
The Princess Diaries 3can give Charlotte more of her own story as a member of the Genovian Parliament, a story that is not as dependent on Clarisse.Charlotte could be a helpful ally for Mia to haveas they navigate Genovian and international politics. Garry Marshall, who directed the previousPrincess Diariesmovies, passed away in 2016, but his daughter can continue the Marshall family’s involvement in the franchise by playing Charlotte again in thelong-awaited Disney sequel.
3Abigail Breslin
Carolina
In one of her earliest movie roles,Abigail Breslin played a Genovian girl named Carolina. Mia stopped a parade to comfort the visibly distressed Carolina and to make her a princess, giving Carolina and the other orphaned children tiaras and having them join the parade. At the end ofThe Princess Diaries 2, Mia opened a new children’s home in Genovia and cut the ribbon alongside Carolina.The Princess Diaries 3can reveal what has happened to Carolina in the years since her childhood.
Having an adult Carolina interacting with Mia, and the two of them still being close years later, would be rewarding to see.
FromLittle Miss SunshinetoAugust: Osage County, Breslin has become an accomplished actor in the two decades since herPrincess Diaries 2appearance. Having an adult Carolina interacting with Mia, and the two of them still being close years later, would be rewarding to see.Breslin could take on a larger role this time, perhaps even working directly with Mia as a member of the Genovian government, and learning from Mia as she once learned from Clarisse.
2Sandra Oh
Geraldine Gupta
As the vice principal at Mia’s high school, Sandra Oh’s Geraldine Gupta might not seem like a necessary character to include inThe Princess Diaries 3, but her return would be most welcome.Oh was one of the comedic highlights inThe Princess Diariesand has only become a more prominent actor since then with her roles inGrey’s Anatomy,Killing Eve, andInvincible. Oh evenaddressed herPrincess Diaries 3return chances, sharing that"I am ready for the Queen. Call me! I’m dying to see how Gupta has moved up in the world.”
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Given how Gupta changed her treatment of Mia after learning of her royal lineage,she is the kind of individual who has likely spent years bragging about Mia being one of her former students, along with exaggerating her role in Mia’s education. Gupta could once again be a comedic highlight, but Oh is also an accomplished dramatic actor, which leaves room to take Gupta in a slightly different direction. Her inclusion would feel like more of a stretch than some other returning characters, but would be undeniably fun.
1Mandy Moore
Lana Thomas
Mandy Moore is now best known for her musical career, her role as Rebecca Pearson in NBC’s hit seriesThis Is Us, and for voicing Rapunzel inTangled, butshe also played the stereotypical cheerleader and mean girl Lana ThomasinThe Princess Diaries. Similar to Vice Principal Gupta, Lana seemingly would not have a place inThe Princess Diaries 3, as Mia is far removed from her high school days. The idea of seeing Moore return to the franchise is tantalizing, though.
Lana may have matured since high schooland learned to become a better person and recognized that the way she treated Mia was wrong.The Princess Diaries 3is the kind of story that probably would not shy away from new musical moments, and Moore’s musical career makes her well-suited to this. Lana and Mia crossing paths does seem improbable, but it could become more likely depending on the journey Lana has taken since graduating high school.
The Princess Diaries 3
The Princess Diaries 3 is the sequel to The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and was announced to be in development back in 2022. Anne Hathaway has expressed interest in returning to the role of Queen of Genovia, but casting has yet to be officially announced.
