Pop icon Cher has been cast in the forthcoming sequel to the hugely popular ABBA-centric musical film Mamma Mia!. Featuring an all-star cast that included Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried, and founded upon the music of seminal Swedish pop act ABBA, Mamma Mia! went on to become a roaring success at the box office, arguably outshining the popularity of the very stage musical it was based on.

Given the financial success of the original movie, a sequel announcement was inevitable and indeed, the amusingly titled Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is scheduled for release next year. Streep, Firth, Brosnan and Seyfried will all be reprising their roles, as will the majority of the original movie’s supporting cast. Ol Parker takes on writing and directorial duties this time around.

It has now been confirmed by Variety that singer/actor Cher will be joining that already impressive Here We Go Again cast list in an as-yet-undisclosed role. The Oscar winner is currently holed up in London rehearsing choreography for the role and will reportedly be joined by the rest of the sequel’s cast in the near future. Cher’s role is not expected to be a starring one, with the singer lined up for two song and dance numbers.

The casting marks Cher’s first movie role since 2011’s Zookeeper and you’d have to go back another year to find her most recent live-action part (Tess in Burlesque); but given that the woman has lived and breathed show business since the 1960s and is still going strong, don’t expect that cinematic absence to show onscreen.

In many ways, Cher is the ideal Mamma Mia! cast member. Perfectly suited to musicals and deeply embedded within the culture of the industry, Cher and ABBA are both iconic pop acts who maintain a healthy modern fan-base. This casting is seemingly a match made in musical heaven.

Of course, Mamma Mia! was somewhat of a “Marmite” movie; and whilst plenty of ABBA fans flocked to their local theater for multiple viewings, others found the mixture of choreographed musical numbers and an overly-sentimental story difficult to stomach. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is likely to be a similar affair with financial success and mixed reviews probable in equal measure. However, at least with Cher joining in the festivities, the sequel has the opportunity to attract a whole new legion of fans; and if the franchise continues to generate money, a third installment could well be in the offing.

Source: Variety

  • Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Release Date: 2018-07-20