By James White | Posted 12 Jul 2017

It feels a little bit belated, but the success of 2008's movie adaptation of the Abba-fuelled Mamma Mia! musical means a sequel was, we suppose, inevitable. With Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried confirmed to return, Christine Baranski is also back to play Tanya, while Lily James will be one of the new faces for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

Ol Parker has written and will direct what is reportedly a sequel and prequel to the original, featuring return of Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård, plus actors to play the Streep, Skarsgård, Brosnan and Firth characters in their younger days. According to Variety, Baby Driver's James is set as the youthful version of Streep's character, Donna.

Like the original, which adapted the stage hit for its own $609 million worldwide success at the box office (and more on the home entertainment level), the new one will again use Abba's music (both classic cuts and tracks that didn't find their way into the first film), and features the participation of musical creator Judy Craymer.

Universal has penciled the new movie in for a July 2018 release. Baranski is reprising her role as Diane Lockhart in Good Wife spin-off The Good Fight, and she'll also be on cinema screens for A Bad Moms Christmas, due out on 3 November. James will be seen in Churchill pic Darkest Hour (arriving 12 January next year and romantic drama Guernsey, which has yet to annouce a UK date.

Mamma Mia Sequel On The Way In 2018