Film & TV News Lily James Will Play Meryl Streep's Younger Self in Mamma Mia! Sequel The movie musical will also see the return of Tony and Emmy winner Christine Baranski.

By Andrew Gans

July 13, 2017

Lily James, who starred in the Baby Driver film and played Juliet opposite Richard Madden's Romeo in Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet, has been cast in the forthcoming sequel to the blockbuster film musical Mamma Mia!, according to Deadline.

James has been cast as the younger Donna Sheridan, opposite Oscar winner Meryl Streep, who returns to play the present-day Donna. The film, according to the industry website, will travel back and forth in time in order to show how various relationships grew and how the past can resonate in the present.

Also confirmed for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, which is set to be released July 20, 2018, are Tony and Emmy winner Christine Baranski (as Tanya) and Amanda Seyfried, who played the role of Sophie Sheridan in the 2008 film.

Read: MAMMA MIA! FILM SEQUEL WILL HIT THEATRES NEXT SUMMER

The original film cast also included Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Julie Walters, who are expected to return, although no further casting has been officially announced.

The new movie will feature an original story and incorporate songs heard in the first feature, as well as additional ABBA tunes. Ol Parker will direct, with creator Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman returning to produce.

Mamma Mia! closed on Broadway in September 2015 as the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history. It premiered October 18, 2001, at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it continued through October 19, 2013. The production then transferred to its final home, the Broadhurst, on November 2, 2013. In its various productions, the show has grossed a reported $2 billion worldwide.