The Princess Diaries 3 has been discussed for years, and one of the original stars spoke out about his possible involvement in the threequel. After the huge success of The Princess Diaries, which starred Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, who discovers she is a princess, Disney released The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement three years later.
Robert Schwartzman, who played Lilly’s brother Michael Moscovitz in the first Princess Diaries, didn’t return for the sequel. However, according to comments he made to People recently, it sounds like the actor might return to the Princess Diaries universe in the future.
Schwartzman is in “standing-by mode” at the moment as he waits for any casting updates. He’s been in communication with the producers, but so far, it’s just “very early day stuff” since the filmmakers are still trying to map out the storyline for the movie.
For me, I’m just in standing-by mode waiting to see what the filmmakers want to do with this next chapter. If they want to bring Michael back to be a part of the journey of the characters, I’m obviously happy to support the efforts of the filmmakers, but certainly it’s very, very exciting for me to always hear fans say, ‘I need Michael back. I want Michael back.’
I’ve been told that they’re starting to imagine this world and how it’s going to be told, but I don’t know much beyond that.
A year ago, Adele Lim was announced as the director of The Princess Diaries 3.
Hathaway is expected to return, but Dame Julie Andrews said three years ago she probably wouldn’t step back into Clarisse Renaldi’s shoes again due to her age. It wouldn’t be a Princess Diaries film without the iconic actress, but maybe the team can figure out a way to include her in some way, even if it’s in a reduced capacity.
Even though everything is up in the air right now, Schwartzman is definitely interested in reprising his role as Michael if the producers and writers decide to include him in the script, and he’s encouraging fans to create a “tidal wave of interest” to make it happen.
Certainly, the opportunity is there for people to create that tidal wave of interest. And I’m sure the people on the other side will be listening to it.
The only reason Schwartzman was missing from The Princess Diaries 2 was because he was on tour with his band, Rooney, in which he’s the lead vocalist. The band last released an album in 2016, an EP in 2017 and a single in 2018.
Since The Princess Diaries, Schwartzman has appeared in a handful of projects, like an episode of The O.C. and a couple of short films. His most recent acting role was in 2019’s Lost Transmissions. In recent years, he’s transitioned into a director. Some of the films he’s directed include Dreamland, The Unicorn, The Argument and The Good Half.
Pre-production on The Princess Diaries 3 is still in the early stages. Despite his vague comments about what the future holds for the series, Schwartzman’s update reassures fans that the producers are still hard at work and that there’s a chance that Michael will return.