Ten years after the cast of Mamma Mia! first sang and danced their way into theaters and fans’ hearts, they’re back with a flashy sequel — and more ABBA music, of course!
In the final trailer that was released this week, we see a pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) ruminating on the life lessons she learned from her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). And while it appears that Donna isn’t alive in the sequel, her friends Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski) tell Sophie stories of her mother’s pregnancy.
Those tales lead to a huge portion of the film taking place in flashbacks from 1979, when a young Donna was first meeting her three love interests (played in present day by Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, and Colin Firth.) That means the sequel is delivering us brand new cast members to play the younger versions of the characters we met the first time around. (We are also getting Cher in the sequel playing Meryl Streep’s mother, even though they’re only a few years apart in real life.)
But since we already know Queen Cher, let’s get to know the hot new actors a little better before Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again hits U.S. theaters on July 20.
Lily James as Donna Sheridan
Who She’s Playing: The younger version of Meryl Streep’s character, Donna
What You Might Know Her From: After a supporting role in Downton Abbey, 29-year-old Lily James played the titular character in 2015’s live-action Cinderella. In 2017 she found success in two major films: Baby Driver and Darkest Hour. But the pressure is really on now that she has to play a younger version of Meryl.
Jeremy Irvine as Sam Carmichael
Who He’s Playing: The younger version of Pierce Brosnan’s Irish-American architect, Sam
What You Might Know Him From: 27-year-0ld Jeremy Irvine made his film debut in 2011’s War Horse. The English star then made headlines for being a method actor in 2013, reportedly going without food for two months and doing his own torture scenes for The Railway Man. He also played the lead in Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall, which was criticized for white-washing the LGBT history story and casting “straight-acting” Irvine as the star.
Josh Dylan as Bill Austin
Who He’s Playing: The younger version of Stellan Skarsgård’s Swedish sailor, Bill
What You Might Know Him From: Josh Dylan is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, only having appeared in the 2016 Brad Pitt film Allied before being cast in Mamma Mia. But the actor landed in the tabloids last year when sexy photos of him filming the musical with co-star Lily James started popping up online.
Hugh Skinner as Harry Bright
Who He’s Playing: The younger version of Colin Firth’s British banker, Harry
What You Might Know Him From: Aside from appearing in a few British TV series, including Fleabag, W1A, and Poldark, 33-year-old Hugh Skinner is mostly known for his role as a student revolutionary named Joly from 2012’s Les Miserables. Hopefully, as he nabs more work in Hollywood he also signs up for a social media account or two.
Alexa Davies as Rosie
Who She’s Playing: The younger version of Julie Walters’ character, Rosie
What You Might Know Her From: 23-year-old Alexa Davies appeared in a number of TV shows before landing her role in the Mamma Mia! sequel, most recently appearing on Hulu’s Harlots.
Jessica Keenan Wynn as Tanya
Who She’s Playing: The younger version of Christine Baranski’s character, Tanya
What You Might Know Her From: 31-year-old Jessica Kennan Wynn guest starred on Showtime’s Billions and NBC’s The Mysteries of Laura, but she may be best known for her role as Heather Chandler in Heathers: The Musical.