<P> Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a 2018 jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis . It is a follow - up to the 2008 film Mamma Mia!, which in turn is based on the musical of the same name using the music of ABBA . The film features an ensemble cast, including Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Andy García, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies, Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, Cher, and Meryl Streep . Both a prequel and a sequel, the plot is set after the events of the first film, and also features flashbacks to 1979, telling the story of Donna Sheridan's arrival on the island of Kalokairi and her first meetings with her daughter Sophie's three possible fathers . </P> <P> Due to the financial success of the first film, Universal Pictures had long been interested in a sequel . The film was officially announced in May 2017, with Parker hired to write and direct . In June 2017, many of the original cast confirmed their involvement, with James being cast in the role of Young Donna that July . Filming took place from August to December 2017 in Croatia, and at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England . A British and American joint venture, the film was co-produced by Playtone, Littlestar Productions and Legendary Entertainment . </P> <P> Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again premiered at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on July 16, 2018 and was released in the United Kingdom and the United States on July 20, 2018, ten years to the week of its predecessor's release, in both standard and IMAX formats . The film has grossed over $350 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances and musical numbers . </P> <P> Sophie Sheridan is preparing for the grand reopening of her mother Donna's hotel, following Donna's death a year earlier . She is upset because two of her fathers, Harry and Bill, are unable to make it to the reopening and she is having trouble in her relationship with Sky, who is in New York, over her memorializing her mother's life . </P>

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