The Princess Diaries 3 landed its director with Adele Lim ing the project. Lim previously directed the 2023 comedy Joy Ride, which received a 90% critical score and 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Anne Hathaway has confirmed her return in Princess Diaries 3 as well, with a caption sharing that she is going "Back to Genovia" and that "The fairy tale continues." Hathaway reprising her role as Genovia's Queen Mia Thermopolis opens the door for other familiar cast to return as well. This includes actors who appeared in The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, along with actors who only appeared in one of these installments.

9 Julie Andrews

Clarisse Renaldi

After Hathaway, no actor is more central to The Princess Diaries movies than Julie Andrews. Their relationship was the heart of both movies as the grandmother and granddaughter duo learned invaluable lessons from each other and shared many touching and hilarious moments. Mia is the official ruler of Genovia after The Princess Diaries 2's ending, but Clarisse Renaldi is still a prominent and adored public figure in Genovia, along with being Mia's loving grandmother and mentor.

A third Princess Diaries movie would feel incomplete without Andrews' distinguished and heartwarming presence. Even if her role is not as substantial as in the prior movies, and regardless of what The Princess Diaries 3's story ends up being, Andrews needs to appear and share at least a scene or two with Mia. Clarisse will undoubtedly be proud of how far Mia has come, and it would be wonderful to see Clarisse enjoying her golden years with Joe as well.

8 Chris Pine

Nicholas Devereaux

Chris Pine's The Princess Diaries 2 role was his first in a feature film, years before he gained further recognition for his performances in Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and numerous other projects. Of all the new characters introduced in the sequel, Pine's Lord Nicholas Devereaux was the clear standout, and it helped cement Pine's reputation as a charming lead actor. Nicholas also has a satisfying arc as he abandons the plot for him to take the throne and empowers Mia instead.

It would be a full-circle moment for Pine's career as he returns to the role that brought him much of his early recognition and that launched his path to stardom.

The Princess Diaries 3 needs to address whether Mia and Nicholas are still together years later, and if so, the sequel needs to show how their relationship has evolved since the second movie. It would be a full-circle moment for Pine's career as he returns to the role that brought him much of his early recognition and that launched his path to stardom. Nicholas' presence would also make sense since Hathaway has confirmed that the third movie is going back to Genovia.

7 Héctor Elizondo

Joe

The chivalrous, kind and ive Joe is one of The Princess Diaries' best characters and should return in the sequel as well. Joe has always been one of Mia's biggest ers, believing in her and offering grace even when others doubted her and when she felt embarrassed or ashamed. Mia has become more confident in herself, but it would still be nice to see Joe cheering her on, with their lifelong friendship continuing during Mia's reign.

If Andrews is reprising her role as Clarisse, this makes Héctor Elizondo's return even more important after she and Joe got married in The Princess Diaries 2. After their many years of service to Genovia, it is time for Clarisse and Joe to enjoy their retirement and their beautiful marriage. Years after Monk's series finale, Elizondo played Adrian Monk's therapist, Dr. Neven Bell, again in Mr. Monk's Last Case, and now he also needs to come back to play The Princess Diaries' Joe once more.

6 Heather Matarazzo

Lilly Moscovitz

With Mia's best friend, Lilly, appearing in both of the previous Princess Diaries movies, it only makes sense for her to return in the third one as well. Time and distance will have changed certain aspects of Mia and Lilly's friendship, but they will undoubtedly remain best friends, with the bond they have had since childhood continuing to be strong. Lilly has always cared about social activism and there is no shortage of real-world social issues her character can address in The Princess Diaries 3.

While Mia will have grown as the ruler of Genovia, it will be intriguing to see how Lilly has grown since The Princess Diaries 2. Whether she travels to Genovia again or talks with Mia via video chats as they live their lives in separate countries, she is an important system for Mia to have. Having Lilly come back can be a testament to the power of long-lasting friendships and work well with the overarching themes of The Princess Diaries franchise.

5 Robert Schwartzman

Michael Moscovitz

Robert Schwartzman did not return to play Michael Moscovitz in The Princess Diaries 2 because he was touring with his real-life band. The Princess Diaries 3 can now bring Schwartzman back to provide more closure for Michael's story. It would be intriguing to see how he feels about Mia's romance with Nicholas and if he still has feelings for Mia. There could be a potential love triangle with Michael, Nicholas, and Mia if Michael unexpectedly reenters Mia's life.

Robert Schwartzman composed numerous songs for the 2013 film Palo Alto, starring Emma Roberts, Val Kilmer, and Margaret Qualley.

He can return without there being a love triangle as well. If his sister, Lilly, is in the sequel, she can easily bring her brother into the story, with the siblings possibly traveling to Genovia together, or Mia traveling to the United States to see Lilly, where she runs into Michael. Michael's absence in The Princess Diaries 2 was slightly jarring, but this can be amended by his return in The Princess Diaries 3 by showing what he is doing with his life, and it does not need to involve him and Mia rekindling their romance.

4 Katherine Marshall

Charlotte Kutaway

Katherine Marshall's Charlotte Kutaway may be The Princess Diaries' most underrated character. Charlotte was Clarisse's assistant and helped manage Clarisse's busy schedule in Genovia and when they traveled to San Francisco in the first movie. By the end of The Princess Diaries 2, Charlotte moved up in the world and became a member of the Genovian Parliament now that women are allowed to be following the changes that Mia instituted.

The Princess Diaries 3 can give Charlotte more of her own story as a member of the Genovian Parliament, a story that is not as dependent on Clarisse. Charlotte could be a helpful ally for Mia to have as they navigate Genovian and international politics. Garry Marshall, who directed the previous Princess Diaries movies, ed away in 2016, but his daughter can continue the Marshall family's involvement in the franchise by playing Charlotte again in the long-awaited Disney sequel.

3 Abigail Breslin

Carolina

In one of her earliest movie roles, Abigail Breslin played a Genovian girl named Carolina. Mia stopped a parade to comfort the visibly distressed Carolina and to make her a princess, giving Carolina and the other orphaned children tiaras and having them the parade. At the end of The Princess Diaries 2, Mia opened a new children's home in Genovia and cut the ribbon alongside Carolina. The Princess Diaries 3 can reveal what has happened to Carolina in the years since her childhood.

Having an adult Carolina interacting with Mia, and the two of them still being close years later, would be rewarding to see.

From Little Miss Sunshine to August: Osage County, Breslin has become an accomplished actor in the two decades since her Princess Diaries 2 appearance. Having an adult Carolina interacting with Mia, and the two of them still being close years later, would be rewarding to see. Breslin could take on a larger role this time, perhaps even working directly with Mia as a member of the Genovian government, and learning from Mia as she once learned from Clarisse.

2 Sandra Oh

Geraldine Gupta

As the vice principal at Mia's high school, Sandra Oh's Geraldine Gupta might not seem like a necessary character to include in The Princess Diaries 3, but her return would be most welcome. Oh was one of the comedic highlights in The Princess Diaries and has only become a more prominent actor since then with her roles in Grey's Anatomy, Killing Eve, and Invincible. Oh even addressed her Princess Diaries 3 return chances, sharing that "I am ready for the Queen. Call me! I'm dying to see how Gupta has moved up in the world."

Given how Gupta changed her treatment of Mia after learning of her royal lineage, she is the kind of individual who has likely spent years bragging about Mia being one of her former students, along with exaggerating her role in Mia's education. Gupta could once again be a comedic highlight, but Oh is also an accomplished dramatic actor, which leaves room to take Gupta in a slightly different direction. Her inclusion would feel like more of a stretch than some other returning characters, but would be undeniably fun.

1 Mandy Moore

Lana Thomas

Mandy Moore is now best known for her musical career, her role as Rebecca Pearson in NBC's hit series This Is Us, and for voicing Rapunzel in Tangled, but she also played the stereotypical cheerleader and mean girl Lana Thomas in The Princess Diaries. Similar to Vice Principal Gupta, Lana seemingly would not have a place in The Princess Diaries 3, as Mia is far removed from her high school days. The idea of seeing Moore return to the franchise is tantalizing, though.

Lana may have matured since high school and learned to become a better person and recognized that the way she treated Mia was wrong. The Princess Diaries 3 is the kind of story that probably would not shy away from new musical moments, and Moore's musical career makes her well-suited to this. Lana and Mia crossing paths does seem improbable, but it could become more likely depending on the journey Lana has taken since graduating high school.