icethesite - Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus news site

Comments

• Posted by marco dirven, October 23, 2009 17:42:

  I love Mamma Mia both the stage version as the movie. But I don't like sequels. So I really hope it is not going to happen.
  

  
  
• Posted by andrew, October 23, 2009 18:28:

  i agree, marco
  
  mamma mia has been a HUGE sucess - now leave it to become the classic it will become - and not spoil it all by some inevitably second rate idea . . .
  
  

  
  
• Posted by marco, October 23, 2009 18:32:

  ....hmmm rumours again...me thinks about grease 2,enough said!

  
  
• Posted by gjr, October 23, 2009 19:32:

  I do agree with previous comments but I do feel that it could work as long as it is done well. Whatever the outcome I have full faith in Benny and Bjorn and if they think it won't work then they won't let it happen.

  
  
• Posted by Rudy, October 23, 2009 20:15:

  I agree, sequels are very risky and tend not to do well. Besides, what would the story line consist of? Another divorce or something like 2012 a catastrophic hurricane that destroys the island using songs from The Visitors Album? "What's that sound? What's that dreadful rumbling?"-Soldiers Song. Or maybe the hotel becomes a brothel and they could use the song Two For The Price Of One. You see how they would really have to stretch it to a point where it's not worth it. If it's not broke don't fix it as they say. So my opinion is no sequel. Best Wishes to all!

  
  
• Posted by Ian, October 23, 2009 21:39:

  Considering that Benny, Björn and Judy Craymer have all said no to a sequel, Benny most strongly, I doubt it will happen.

  
  
• Posted by andrü, October 23, 2009 21:41:

  mmm I also think a sequel is too risky mmm don't like much the idea :S also because there are not so many "good" songs but if it well done it could work of course :)

  
  
• Posted by swedish listener, October 23, 2009 22:30:

  It would indeed be absurd to do Mamma Mia 2 without the music of Benny and Björn. It would also be stupid by BB to give the go ahead for such a project since it would diminish their music as part of the whole Mamma Mia project.
  
  If a sequel without BB:s music would be a success then the conclusion would be - hey they can do this with any bands music, ABBA was no part of the movies success.
  
  I also believe that it's a great idea to do a sequel! The story of Mamma Mia wasn't exactly brilliant - though it was well suited to the tunes - so it's not like they wouldn't be able to create an even better storyline for the sequel.
  
  However I don't think they should limit themselves to old ABBA songs although there should obviously be several of them in the sequel. They should also pick songs from BAB as well as other works by Benny and Björn.
  
  Preferrably the musical could also have a handful or a dozen of songs specially written by BB for the sequel - that would really create a buzz around the musical and also give the manuscript writers more creative head room.
  
  I think the logical thing for the sequel would be to put more focus on Amanda Seyfried and her quest to find the right man and herself after a breakup with her boyfriend Sky.
  
  She would move to London either to study or to work and she would live her life exactly as her mother - having many boyfriends and perhaps becoming pregnant without knowing who the father is.
  
  
  It could possibly end with her reuniting with Sky after seeing him walking with a girl on a London street when she stands at the back of a london dubbel-decker.
  
  Songs that would be great for the musical:
  
  1. Story of a heart (also the title of the sequel). I explained above when she should sing it.
  
  2. Happy new year (after amanda has broken up with Sky she feels alone at a new years party.
  
  3. Hasta Manana (When she breakes up with Sky).
  
  4. Fait accompli (great song for Pierce, could be sung if their relationship was in danger)
  
  5. You are my man (song by Meryl to Pierce after they had resolved their differences).
  
  6. I let the music speak (changed to I let the paintings speak) Sung by Amanda about her passion for drawing and painting.
  
  7. Fernando. Could be sung by Meryl to an old mexican lover, this could be the reason for the quarrel with Pierce or by the other dame who didn't get anyone in the first movie.
  
  8. If sophie made an abortion "Like an angel passing through my room" would perhaps be a good song displaying her sorrow.
  
  etc.
  

  
  
• Posted by swedish listener, October 23, 2009 22:33:

  Let me just add that I do believe that great juke box musicals can be done with the music of many bands however it would be un-optimal for the chosen band and a bit denigrating for BB to do it within the mamma mia framework which is so closely connected to ABBA and especially BB as songwriters.

  
  
• Posted by Tony, October 24, 2009 01:02:

  Yes... no sequel... please!!!
  Benny and Björn... please please please don't be tempted to 'the dark side' ;o)
  However, if they feel that they really 'need' to do a sequel, I think they should look at Rudy's suggestion (see above) stemming from the 'Two For The Price Of One' idea ;o)
  Cheers, Tony.

  
  
• Posted by cc, October 24, 2009 04:25:

  Concentrate on Kristina. Don't get distracted with sequels.

  
  
• Posted by GMan, October 24, 2009 07:49:

  I asked Benny after the Hyde Park concert whether they were really considering a Mamma Mia sequel and he just laughed and said no. I think they would no more consider that than they'd consider getting back together. In any case, they don't like to repeat themselves and never have, so I doubt there will be another musical of ABBA music, even though there's plenty of songs left to choose from.

  
  
• Posted by Darren, October 24, 2009 09:37:

  Well Bjorn should be back from his South Pacific holiday to get ideas for the new musical project.
  Although i'm sure that musical has been done before ;-) I can see Meryl washing that man right out of her hair.....................
  I would like to have been a fly on the wall at the meetings between Benny,Bjorn and Catherine Johnson in Sweden in July though and Benny and Bjorns meeting with Judy Craymer in New York before Kristina.
  There are plenty of Spanish syle songs not used(moving on from Greece...just an idea) Fernando,hasta manana and 'Put on your white sombrero'.Other songs could be'One of us','summer night city' and 'Knowing me knowing you' were not used as full songs.
  Lets face it even 'Just like that' was in the original workshop as a duet between Sophie and Sky
  
  I'd still rather see Kristina as a movie,filmed on location.It's magic would be captured forever but alot may say it's appeal would be limited as it's more of an 'operatic piece'.

  
  
• Posted by Marco Paulo, October 24, 2009 13:52:

  Remember, Bjorn and Benny always said "no" at the beginning of the projects, then they accepted Mamma Mia, then with the adaptation to Brodway, then with the translations in various countries, then with film. They always need to be convinced of quality the project to adhere to it, which is honoring and respectful for their work and the fans.
  
  I would certainly say "yes" to a sequel to Mamma Mia because I think that there are still many songs of quality of which we do not think (The day before..., should I laugh, just like that, as good as new, dreamworld,another town...,eagle,my love my life, but why did it have to be me, I wonder,so long or the unused as knowing me...or one of us). Why not add some new stuff like "you are my man" or other songs written by B&B for josefin Nilsson and Gemini
  
  Moreover the starting point is very open because the film ends with a quartet of couples (included a gay one) which can lead to a lot stories and adventures, the screenplay would necessary need more work than the first film. We could even imagine the meeting after 20 years of Donna and his mother (Hello Julie andrews or Doris Day!). The essential ingredients would be to keep the wit with the French & Saunders style, the impression of “feel good” and a paradisiac decor of holidays which makes dream...
  
  and I wanna keep on to dream with abba music
  
  

  
  
• Posted by Visitor1982, October 24, 2009 23:12:

  Mamma Mia! 1 was a disaster (story line speaking), so Mamma Mia! 2 couldn't be much worse.
  
  At least then they could use the more interesting and unknown songs...
  
  Though on the other hand, ABBA's hits is what it made the movie a hit in the first place.
  
  
  For me, Mamma Mia! is not quality. I remember there were fans who thought it was wrong for it not being nominated for an Oscar or something. How could anyone in their right mind think this was Oscar material? It's a fun movie, but that's all it is. It has the depth of a soupbowl.
  
  Mamma Mia! 2 could be interesting. But I won't hold my breath.

  
  
• Posted by Uwe, October 25, 2009 08:50:

  Like Meryl Sreep said: " Then it would have to be called: "Grandmama Mia"!

  
  
• Posted by Phil D, October 25, 2009 10:10:

  I'll eat my hat if B&B say yes to a sequel.
  
  It's worth remembering that they don't do anything for purely commercial success these days, they simply don't need to. They do what they do because they love it and for artistic merit.
  
  I can see no artistic merit in a Mamma Mia sequeland I can't imagine that B&B would either.
  
  I should think their energies are more focussed on Kristina anyway.
  
  Phil x

  
  
• Posted by Gary, October 25, 2009 17:39:

  The answer is obvious. Call the sequel 'Kristina The Movie', use a little creative licence so that the Swedes are emigrating to Greece rather than the USA, so we still get the great scenery, and there you go. Amanda might be able to get away with the lead role, with Dominic as her husband.... Pop a few more ABBA tunes in - for example, Julie Walters' character doing a drunken dance to the 'King Kong Song', and everybody's happy....

  
  
• Posted by TonyG, October 25, 2009 19:33:

  "Instead, the next big thing for Ulvaeus and Andersson following the "Kristina" concerts would be to write new material for a follow up to Mamma Mia!, he said, stressing it would not be a classical sequel, but a 'looser kind of follow up.'
  
  While they had not yet decided on the format or the theme, Andersson said he had been positively surprised by the screen adaptation of Mamma Mia!, and had not ruled out another film or a continuation of the same theme."
  
  From the ABC Online interview:
  
  http://www.icethesite.com/default.aspx?articleID=430
  
  I was surprised this didn't get more comment at the time.

  
  
• Posted by Gordon, October 25, 2009 21:05:

  Stayin' Alive. To quote Barry Gibb, the WORST career choice the Bee Gees EVER made.
  
  Please don't do it.

  
  
• Posted by swedish listener, October 25, 2009 23:10:

  One thing that could really be made better in a sequel would be to put more truly funny humour in it - jokes, dialogue and situations that would bring down the house and not simply make some middle aged women laugh out loud and the rest of the audience just smile or mumble a bit. That was a missed opportunity in the first movie. Truly funny humour appealing to the whole audience as well as added heart in the end is the easiest way to make people outside of the focus group embrace a musical comedy. In the first movie the jokes seemed strictly directed towards middle aged women - turning off the more critical audience groups instead of bringing them in. Big mistake!
  
  Since I have critiqued the first movie and musical a bit I have to add that there were obviously many wise choices made by the three creative british women (thank you great britain) involved in the project - otherwise it wouldn't have been a success, neither the musical nor the movie. I actually didn't mind the story line - it fitted the music very well with a wedding, a nice sunny location, a surpise twist in the end etc. It was mainly in the details such as a lack of comedic feel and a lack of some spicy subplot - perhaps a greek father surrogate - that the biggest "mistakes" were made.
  
  A sequel would be a perfect way for BB to show off their less famous ABBA songs to the world, as well as bits and pieces of their other work(excluding Chess and Kristina). It would also be an opportunity for them to prove that the can still make succesful pop music - if they would add a handful of newly written songs for the sequel! I think it would perhaps be their only chance to have another number one hit on the charts.
  

  
  
• Posted by Frances Quinn, October 26, 2009 08:49:

  I don't like to be rude, but Amanda saying 'I wouldn't do it without Bjorn and Benny' really made me laugh. As if the producers would be saying, well, we don't have any Abba songs, but hey, Amanda's agreed to do it!
  
  Personally I love Gary's idea, though I think it could be adapted to slip even more seamlessly past the public consciousness. If Star Wars can have a prequel, why not Mamma Mia? So Kristina and Karl-Oskar become Donna and Sophie's ancestors, and all Kristina's sacrifices are shown to be worth it because had she not suffered the lice and the stove problems, Donna would never have been born to emigrate to Greece and open the only taverna in the country that doesn't appear to serve food. Obviously, to underline the family similarities, Kristina would need to have a couple of little flings with Peter and the vicar, as well as unsuccessfully battling her conjugal lust for Karl-Oskar, but it'd be worth it to see how Du Måsta Finnas goes down at the singalongaKristina screenings.

  
  
• Posted by jon, October 26, 2009 21:53:

  How about a prequel? Meryl could play her mum and show how she met each of the dads!
  I am sure the original cast could play other characters!
  Come on it will be fun, but should there be the musical first or just the film?

  
  
• Posted by Greg , October 26, 2009 23:33:

  People will do stupid things for money. Doing Mamma Mia 2, if the offer was right I'm sure they would agree. Bjorn and Benny may be saying no but I'm sure in someone office their is a draft or outline of the Mamma Mia 2 just waiting. I can't for-see it coming out this year or next but down the road money will win and Bjorn and Benny will be on that train to make Mamma Mia 2.
  
  me, I would rather they work on Chess or Kristina for Broadway and film.

  
  
• Posted by Tony, October 27, 2009 03:24:

  I like Gary's ideas of Julie Walters doing a drunken dance to The King Kong Song... or perhaps she could dress up like Shirley Temple in a dream-sequence and do a tap-dance to an extended version of the band music at the end of Two For The Price Of One!

  
  
• Posted by Tony, October 27, 2009 08:57:

  Hey everyone... I've got it!!!
  
  If a sequel is to be made after all, why not make it the 'ultimate' of many forms of entertainment:
  
  "Mamma Mia 2 - On Ice* - The Movie" ;o)
  
  (*'Ice', as in the ice-skating extravaganzas that Disney's have every now and then; not as in: Ice our website-host ;o)
  
  Then when that movie's successful, the movie can be reworked to tour the world under a big-top tent! ;o)
  
  Cheers again, Tony.

  
  
• Posted by Lee Marks, October 27, 2009 21:19:

  OK, here's the twist! Dominic Cooper is staying that it could be a Prequel!!!! Goto digitalspy.co.uk it's under movie news and there is an interview to boot!

  
  
• Posted by swedish listener, October 27, 2009 22:11:

  In a sequel Stellan Skarsgårds actor son Alexander Skarsgård could perhaps play one of Sophies several boyfriends that she has in London? Perhaps he could throw her over the balcony in front of the paparazzis :)? Sophie becomes famous in London as a hip painter/artist (remember i let the paintings speak)?
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQJ9Vi8GLok&feature=fvw
  
  Though the music should obviosuly be BB and not Red One (a funny anectode about Red One is that he moved to Sweden from Marocco because he was a fan of swedish glam metal band Europe - and he met Joey Tempest at his house in the 80s).
  
  It's a misunderstanding that BB lack songs that are catchy enough for a sequel. They are also in a position to be able to write new ones. I think for many in the audience the sequel will be more interesting because of the unfamiliarity with the songs - but still the very recognizable style of BB.
  
  
  

  
  
• Posted by Michael Salkeld, October 28, 2009 00:03:

  I cant help feeling there is something inevitable about it,
  My be we shouldn’t worry to much, as most people think The Empire Strikes Back is better than star wars.
  

  
  
• Posted by Tony, October 29, 2009 08:12:

  Michael Salkeld has given me another idea for a name for an MM sequel: 'The Mamma Strikes Back'.
  
  Alternatively if they think of doing a prequel, perhaps it could have a time-travel theme and hence also be a Dr Who movie, and Kylie Minogue can join in (having previous Dr Who and Benny connections), but this time she can be the latest incarnation of The Doctor, as she:
  
  1. saves the universe and time
  
  2. saves Donna from encountering what could otherwise have been a 4th possible father (an evil Darth Vader-esque one)
  
  ... all while additionally entertaining the masses with wonderful renditions of the other ABBA songs.

  
  
• Posted by FrenchY, October 29, 2009 11:53:

  Oh dear !
  Mamma Mia! was already just a rehash of ABBA songs, Kristina dates back from 1996 and Chess is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
  Didn't I hear Benny saying in an interview that he prefers to do something new instead of just looking back.
  Come on, don't you all prefer something COMPLETELY new.

  
  
• Posted by Jonathan Van Dusen, October 29, 2009 20:01:

  Here's what I don't get -- and I don't think anyone's mentioned it this way before.
  
  Yes, there's plenty of ABBA songs left to choose from. But the songs that were included in Mamma Mia! mostly mirrored the tracklisting of "ABBA Gold" -- in other words, the songs that are just part of pop culture now, which huge amounts of people know and love.
  
  If they were to make a Mamma Mia! sequel/prequel/alternate-universe-companion/etc, they would be reaching into the ABBA songs that not everyone knows. They'd be venturing into "More ABBA Gold" territory as opposed to "ABBA Gold", and perhaps songs even more obscure than that.
  
  Myself, I'm one of those rare ABBA fans that would rather listen to "More ABBA Gold" than the original Gold, and that's mostly because I prefer ABBA's darker stuff, even if it arguably wasn't as popular or danceable.
  
  So, the question is, what was it about the ABBA songs that made Mamma Mia! so popular? Was it the trademark B&B sound? Was it nostalgia for ABBA? Or was it the catchiness and familiarity of the songs themselves?

  
  
• Posted by marco, October 29, 2009 20:11:

  ...hey this is getting more entertaining all the time...ha!Love the ideas ...me thinks I gotta come up with one.!!..hmmm perhaps this could become a competition for the craziest..wildest mammma mia storyline!! Hey guys we can do just as good as hollywood..cheers!!

  
  
• Posted by Calum, October 29, 2009 20:16:

  To "Swedish Listener": 'If Sophie made an abortion, "Like an angel passing through my room"' - that's just a tad too literal and distasteful to consider... eeugh.

  
  
• Posted by john, October 30, 2009 16:22:

  How about
  
  GrandMaMamma Mia

  
  
• Posted by Jim Stevens, November 02, 2009 17:25:

  As one who was disappointed by the movie, especially Meryl, I really hope they don't do a sequel or prequel.
  
  That said, if both Donna and Sophie suffered romantic disappointment, having the characters alternating verses of "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" might work..."love was one prolonged goodbye."

  
  
• Posted by Arnold, November 04, 2009 13:00:

  Excellent job Ice, letting the proponents and doubters of a sequel slug it out on your site! Let me try to decide the debate in favor of the yes vote ... because of course there should be a sequel! Watching and singing along with Mamma Mia has been an uplifting experience for so many, not to mention Donna's near-iconic part as a female role model. Now it's time for Sophie to take her place in the world ... which means anywhere but a Greek island. Keep the golden triangle Meryl, Amanda and Pierce and make some unexpected additions to the team. Benny and Bjorn's 'unused' ABBA songs are a rich resource and they could mix in some material written especially for this new round. So … am I right or am I right? Anyway, keep up the good work Ice!
  
  Arnold
  

  
  
• Posted by Terry Malloy, November 05, 2009 10:17:

  I think a sequel would work- why not? There are far more ABBA tracks to be used and to be heard by the "Goldies" fans and general puiblic. I let The Music Speak is always a number I think screams out for a film, and others- Angeleyes, If It Wasnt for The Nights...Move On..Soldiers I'm up for a sequel!! Yep!!

  
  
• Posted by Sian, November 30, 2009 23:25:

  A sequel? Prequel? Ugh. What a horrible thought. MM! works well on stage, on celluloid is looks like they were trying too hard to fill the space. It looked like a stage production spread thinly. Which, let's face it, is what it is.
  
  And as for whoever suggested above that Brosnan should sing Fait Accompli - are you insane?! That man should never have been allowed near a singing role, he murdered every song his tortured tonsils were wrapped around and he is *not* to get his sticky mitts on a masterpiece like Fait Accompli! That belongs to Tommy K and nobody else. So there.
  
  Besides which, no matter how much fans would want to see the obscure ABBA/B+B/BAO tracks, they'd never be included because ordinary people wouldn't want to go and see them. The original MM! film sold off the back of legends like Dancing Queen. Not because Benny wrote it, but because it's a song many, many people know and love. People love B+B because of the songs. They don't love the songs because B+B wrote them. If you see what I mean. :)
  
  Another MM! film. What a thought. No thank you - one was quite enough. It was okay, in a vaguely embarrassing, over-acted way (take a bow, Julie "Hammy" Walters...). But it's certainly not one I have to watch more than a couple of times in a lifetime. Unlike - oddly enough - ABBA The Movie, which gets aired every couple of months or so at home. I never get tired of that, yet it uses much the same songs and has an equally lame plot. Now I wonder why that might be?? :)
  
  ABBA The Movie is class. MM! is not. It ignores A+F's contributions to ABBA and the musical achievements are nowhere near what the real ABBA could do. As a piece of entertainment, it's fine. But as a showcase for the music of B+B - no. Especially not with someone as blatantly unmusical as Brosnan in the lead. FGS.