It’s no surprise that Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again has frolicked into broad acclaim. The ABBA-worshipping musical literally hits many of the same notes as its lauded 2008 predecessor, while offering audiences even more sun-kissed wish fulfilment. It also has goddamn Cher.
[jwplayer wdPM27I5]
But cinemagoers have identified a way for the sing-along spectacular to grow even further: spinning it into a colossal franchise, à la The Fast And The Furious.
In the days after Mamma Mia! 2‘s cinematic release, fans (Fernandos?) took to Twitter to voice their wishes for the the series.
Mamma Mia is the Fast and Furious of musicals. You know exactly what you’re getting and that’s what makes it perfection.
— Adohree (@adohree) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/dilemmahreviews/status/1020128984351289344
if we all pray hard enough we can make mamma mia the fast and furious franchise of musicals
— miel (@miel) July 21, 2018
Can’t wait for the new prequel novels, they’ll really extend the Cannon Mammaverse
— Jacob the Jacob (@MrJacobSchmitty) July 22, 2018
Mamma Mia: Knowing 3, Knowing You
Mamma Mia: 4nando
Mamma Mia: 5 Been Cheated By You (And I Think You Know When)
Mamma Mia 6: Tokyo Drift— Laura Bonang (@laurabonang) July 22, 2018
They’ve prompted some compelling arguments.
Like Fast & Furious, the Mamma Mia-verse relies on the versatile concept of family. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker formed a bond stronger than blood by Fast 7; so too did Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Stellan Skarsgård.
https://twitter.com/Simon_Schmitty/status/1021198047399858181
Fans of old-school muscle cars and of ABBA’s pre-Eurovision years are also effectively interchangeable. They could compete with the latter-day Lay All Your Love On Me stans and modern import hoons, respectively.
Even if Mamma Mia! 3 never gets the green light, we can still hope for a cross-over. Fast spin-off Hobbs & Shaw is currently in production; if we’re lucky enough, we might just get to see Meryl Streep chucking mad doughnuts in a tricked-out Saab.
