While the fans loved watching Streep onscreen in the first part of the Phyllida Lloyd directorial, they were expecting the actress to reprise her character for the second part as well. However, much to the audience’s dismay, Streep turned down the offer of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Apart from the Little Women actress, other cast members from the original film, too, skipped returning to the second part, which was released in 2018. Speaking about Streep’s character in the film, the actress played the mother to Amanda Seyfried, who played the lead role of Sophie. Donna Sheridan owns the Villa Donna Hotel and has a twisted past. The Mamma Mia 2 director, Ol Parker, explained the reason behind the cast members not returning to the sequel.

Speaking to the media portal, the filmmaker claimed, “There was always a massive desire for a sequel. The studio couldn’t have wanted it more, given how much money the original made. But immediately, there was just a struggle. Not every story needs another chapter. So they couldn’t really find a proper version that actually made dramatic sense.”

The rumored sources have claimed to the media that Mamma Mia 3 might be in works at the studio. However, one of the trusted sources mentioned to the media earlier that the movie has not yet started filming, but many of the previous cast members would reprise their roles in the third installment.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Streep from the second film, the writer, Richard Curtis, stated that his daughter gave him the idea of writing the movie from the perspective of a prequel. He added, “By having Donna die between the end of the first movie and the start of the second, they could tell more of Donna’s story via flashbacks. I felt the movie flowed best that way anyway, describing it as the most meaningful, emotional and impactful way to tell that story.”

The creators revealed that though Streep’s character was not physically present in the movie, she appeared to play a ghost, sing a few songs, and then take an exit.

For the third part of the movie, neither the makers nor the studios have let out any information yet.