Anne Hathaway, Garry Marshall and Julie Andrews in 2004. (Getty)
Garry Marshall, a Hollywood titan who turned The Odd Couple into a television show and created Happy Days, died on Tuesday, Access Hollywood reported. For younger filmgoers, the 81-year-old was known for directing all-star movies with holiday titles and helming The Princess Diaries with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. Marshall had been talking about making a third Princess Diaries as recently as April 2016.
The Princess Diaries series was inspired by the books by Meg Cabot, starring Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, who learns that she’s a princess. The original 2001 film was a big hit, earning $165.3 million worldwide and turning Hathaway into a star. Although the 2004 sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement didn’t capture the same magic, fans have been pleading for more. Marshall and Disney were ready to give it to them.
“I was with Anne Hathaway a couple weeks ago, it looks like we want to do Princess Diaries 3 in Manhattan,” Marshall told People Magazine in March 2016. “Anne Hathaway is very pregnant, so we have to wait until she has the baby and then I think we’re going to do it.”
In April 2016, Marshall told Larry King that he had a meeting with Andrews and Hathaway about a new film. Marshall said that he met with Andrews over Skype while Hathaway was in her office.
“I hope they do it,” Marshall told King.
Marshall also spoke with Vanity Fair about a Princess Diaries 3, saying that he wasn’t sure if he would end up directing it. He did say that Chris Pine, who starred in Royal Engagement, was interested in coming back.
At one point, there was a report from The Tracking Board in 2015 that Disney was working on a Princess Diaries movie without Hathaway. However, a source for The Huffington Post denied that such a project was in the works.
Marshall worked steadily until his death. Earlier this year, his Mother’s Day with Julia Roberts hit theaters.
