Seven years after the family got together again, the cast of My Big Fat Greek Wedding will gather once again for a third film, which is set to release worldwide on September 8, 2023.
The highly anticipated third film in the series is written and directed by Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in both original films. Vardalos returns to star in the third film, alongside a bevy of other returning stars from the original films, including John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Maria Vacratsis, Andrea Martin, Elias Kavacas, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone and Melina Kotselou.
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Gary Goetzman — who have been producers on the past two projects — return to produce the third film as well. In a statement on the third film, Vardalos thanked the trio of producers for “taking a chance” on her, and called the film a “family reunion.”
“The sweet friendship which bloomed from the producers’ first taking a chance on me then grew into a beautiful relationship as they entrusted me to direct this installment of our franchise,” said Vardalos. “We filmed our family reunion entirely in Greece which was thrilling for us all. Plus, we ate for free.”
Rita Wilson added that “it’s thrilling to have Nia Vardalos, Academy Award nominated writer, not only in front of the camera as our star but also behind the camera as our director, guiding our beloved cast for this third film shot on location in Greece. My Big Fat Greek Wedding has brought audiences joy for twenty-one years. I’m so happy that more joy is on the way.”
Originally beginning in 2002 with its first film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding told the story of a middle-class Greek American woman who fell in love with a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant man. The film was a smash hit, earning more than $368 million at the box office and being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A sequel was made in 2014, which saw the family dealing with the recession of the mid-2010s, and was a box office success, but was not reviewed as highly as the first.