'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again' Trailer: A Sequel And A Prequel All At Once

You probably know right away if you're the target audience for a Mamma Mia sequel. And that audience is pretty big: the 2008 original made $609 million worldwide, so a follow-up feels like a license to print money and please the fans. So here we are, 10 years later, with the original cast reunited to once again sing ABBA songs and look pretty and get involved in drama that's soapy enough to warm your heart but pleasant enough to not get that heart racing too hard.

The new Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again trailer looks like more of the same, now split across two timelines. And yeah, it's probably going to make a ton of money.

The sequel catches up with Sophie and Sky (Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper), who are now expecting a baby. How better to explore their new situation than to flashback to the younger days of her mother, Donna (once again played by Meryl Streep, with Lily James stepping in for the flashbacks) as she gets involved with three men and creates the very situation that fueled the first movie? Naturally, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård are all back, with younger actors playing the Newer, Hotter Models in the 1979 scenes.

This trailer is relentlessly cheesy and garish-looking, but that's not going to matter to the people who made the first film a hit. I know my wife is already marking the opening weekend on her calendar, which means I'll be seeing this one. While this isn't necessarily a movie for me, it's hard to get too angry at a movie that's all about watching charming performers do ABBA karaoke for two hours. There are far worse things in the world.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is directed by Ol Parker and opens on July 20, 2018. Here is the official synopsis:

Get ready to sing and dance, laugh and love all over again. Ten years after Mamma Mia! The Movie grossed more than $600 million around the world, you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. With the film's original cast returning and new additions including Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver), the musical comedy will open in Summer 2018. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, producers of the original film. Craymer is also the creator and producer of the worldwide smash-hit stage musical. Ol Parker, writer of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, writes and directs the sequel from a story by Catherine Johnson, Richard Curtis and Parker. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus return to provide music and lyrics and serve as executive producers. Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Phyllida Lloyd, Richard Curtis and Nicky Kentish Barnes also serve as executive producers. Reprising their roles from Mamma Mia! The Movie are Academy Award winner Meryl Streep as Donna, Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya. Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper reunite as Sophie and Sky, while Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Oscar winner Colin Firth return to play Sophie's three possible dads: Sam, Bill and Harry.

As the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, James will play the role of Young Donna. Filling the roles of Young Rosie and Young Tanya are Alexa Davies (A Brilliant Young Mind) and Jessica Keenan Wynn (Broadway's Beautiful). Young Sam will be played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), while Young Bill is Josh Dylan (Allied) and Young Harry is Hugh Skinner (Kill Your Friends).