“Princess Diaries 3” Producer Debra Martin Chase Provides Update on Status of Widely-Anticipated New Installment (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Producer Debra Martin Chase tells PEOPLE that The Princess Diaries 3 is hopefully moving forward soon

• Anne Hathaway is expected to return as Mia Thermopolis, more than 20 years after the last film debuted

• The sequel was officially announced in 2024, with Chase saying the team is “intent upon making it happen”

Movie producer Debra Martin Chase says The Princess Diaries 3 may finally be a reality — and soon!

Chase caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at the Black Women on Broadway Awards in New York City on June 1. During the conversation, PEOPLE asked the industry veteran, 69, who produced the first two Princess Diaries films, if the new installment was on the horizon.

“We are more than hopeful,” Chase told PEOPLE.

“We are moving in that direction. We’ve done a lot of groundwork,” she added.

She continued: “We had hoped to be shooting this year. So, it’s coming. We’re intent upon making it happen. And we’re excited that the people are excited. Every time something happens and we get the thing, it’s like, ‘Yay, okay, keep going!’ ”

While not much is known about the plot of the widely anticipated project, Anne Hathaway is expected to return as Mia Thermopolis, the high-schooler-turned-princess, who was crowned as Queen of Genovia when we last saw her at the end of 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2.

In April, Kathleen Marshall, the daughter of the late Princess Diaries director Garry Marshall, exclusively provided PEOPLE with an update on the movie while at the opening night of Beaches on Broadway.

“We’re working on Princess Diaries 3,” Kathleen said, adding that she’s “excited to be a part of anything” related to the franchise.

“It’s working out,” Kathleen added, noting that they hope it’s “the next thing” for Hathaway.

“We’re moving it along,” she continued. “I mean, there’s just an incredible team in place. So it’s coming. It’s coming.”

Even before the third movie was confirmed, Hathaway — who first appeared on screen as Mia in the initial 2001 film — expressed her eagerness to revisit the iconic franchise.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in April 2024, she called The Princess Diaries “the film that changed my life.”

She previously told PEOPLE in 2023 that it was “thrilling” to “see the level of excitement for a third film.”

While she admitted that the 20-year wait could be “frustrating,” she clarified that it was a normal part of the moviemaking business. “It’s a process that requires patience … this is how long it actually takes to make things.”

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On Oct. 5, 2024, Hathaway posted the official announcement of the third film on Instagram with the caption, “Miracles happen ✨👑 Back to Genovia with @adeleblim @disney @somewherepictures. The fairy tale continues ❤️‍🔥.”

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