Anne Hathaway has confirmed that "Princess Diaries 3" has reached a story breakthrough after an earlier version of the script was scrapped and rewritten from scratch. Speaking on SiriusXM's "Radio Andy", the actress said the new creative direction has left the team feeling confident, though she acknowledged the restart was "not the update I think anybody wants" for fans eager for progress on the long-gestating sequel.

The threequel has been in development since 2022, with Adele Lim ("Crazy Rich Asians", "Raya and the Last Dragon") signed on to direct since 2024. Hathaway is set to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, now Queen of Genovia, and Lim has teased "a lot of fun returns" from other original cast members, though no shooting schedule or release date has been set. The first two films, released in 2001 and 2004, together grossed around $300 million worldwide.