Dame Julie Andrews Says Hathaway Is Too Old For Disney ‘The Princess Diaries 3’

Has the iconic Julie Andrews rejected Disney’s upcoming The Princess Diaries 3 on the grounds that she and co-star Anne Hathaway are too old? The Hollywood Reporter recently quoted the famed actress as saying, “It would be too late to do it now.”

Say what you will about Disney Millenials, childless or otherwise, but if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that we love our classic nostalgia. In fact, the recent hype for reboots and revivals spawned such sequels as Hocus Pocus 2 (2022), Disenchanted (2022), and another Freaky Friday.

So, when the Walt Disney Company recently confirmed a second sequel to the original 2001 Princess Diaries movie, fans rejoiced. The hit film detailing a plucky underdog’s rise to royalty was a blockbuster during its theatrical run and a showstopper during its repeat airings on the Disney Channel and ABC for many of our entire childhoods.

However, when the news broke, the return of the film’s knockout leads, Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway, was the first thought on everyone’s minds. Of course, Disney fans see Princess Mia Thermopolis and her grandmother, the elegant Queen Clarisse Renaldi as synonymous with the Princess Diaries’ name itself!

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Although The Princess Diaries 3, written by Aadrita Mukerji and produced by Debra Martin Chase and Melissa Stack, will continue the same storyline from the first two films, it may not feature the duo at all. Previously, Disney advertised that the new film will revisit the original plot rather than rebooting the tale with a new cast or becoming a spinoff around other characters.

Indeed, Andrews said “there’s been talk about it for quite a while,” and this June called her return to the throne of Genovia “a lovely thought.” Yet, it seems the AFI Life Achievement Award winner will not feature in this new Princess Diaries film, much to everyone’s disappointment.

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On Tuesday, the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins star told Access Hollywood that a third film is “probably not going to be possible” due to the large gap from 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement to now. Furthermore, Andrews cited the death of the former director, Garry Marshall, in 2016 as another reason why “in terms of us doing it, I doubt that now.”

Additionally, Andrews made an odd comment that because not only she, but lead star Anne Hathaway, are both “so much older,” the movie might not be a success. “I am not sure where it would float or run,” Andrews stated, despite now-Queen Mia herself previously voicing hopes to return alongside her fictitious grandmother should The Princess Diaries 3 move forward.

Only time will tell who the Meg Cabot-inspired universe will actually cast to represent this additional storyline. Who would you like to see in the Disney Princess Diaries 3 film?