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It’s not every day that a classic romantic comedy gets a sequel. It is even more rare that a romantic comedy should get two sequels. Lucky for us, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is going to become a trilogy. The original film put first-generation problems in the spotlight and has become a go-to piece of entertainment for anybody whose family doesn’t adhere to common American traditions. Its unique and refreshing storytelling has made it a mainstay for people across the world and its endlessly charming and interesting characters have made it nearly impossible to abandon. For anybody wondering when, how, and where they can watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Nia Vardalos’ newest comedy, you’ve come to the right place.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on May 11, 2023.
Is There A Release Date For My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3?
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 will be distributed to US audiences by Focus Features on September 8, 2023.
Will My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 Be Released in Theaters or on Streaming?
The first My Big Fat Greek Wedding film grossed $368.7 million USD at the international box office on a budget of only $5 million USD. The second film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 made $90.6 million USD on a budget of $18 million USD. With numbers like that, it would be hard for any studio to forgo a theatrical release altogether. That being said, a streaming release can’t be ruled out as the film is being produced by HBO Films and the first two features are currently on the HBO Max streaming service.
That being said with Focus Features releasing the film, it is also possible that the film ends up streaming on Peacock.
Is There A Trailer For My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3?
Focus Features released the trailer for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 online on May 11, 2023. The trailer also played before screenings of another Focus Features-backed sequel, Book Club: The Next Chapter.
Who Is In the Cast of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3?
All original cast members of My Big Fat Greek Wedding except for Michael Constantine who passed away in 2021, will be returning for the sequel. Both Nia Vardalos and John Corbett return as the couple that started it all, Toula Portokalos and Ian Miller. Corbett has also starred in the hit HBO show, Sex & the City and is set to return for Season 2 of the sequel series And Just Like That… as Aidan, Carrie Bradshaw’s long-lost love. Elena Kampouris returns as Paris Miller, their daughter. Since appearing in the sequel, she has starred in movies like Before I Fall and shows like Jupiter’s Legacy. Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gerry Mendicino, and Maria Vacratsis are back to play the members of the older generation, Maria Portokalos, Thiea Voula, Uncle Taki, and Aunt Freida respectively.
Kazan is a star of both stage and screen, having won two Tonys for St. Elsewhere and My Favorite Year as well as a Golden Globe nomination for the film adaptation of My Favorite Year. Martin first got her start on the hit Canadian sketch comedy show, SCTV, alongside comedy greats like Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy. Recently, she has starred in TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Only Murders in the Building. Mendicino got his start on the Canadian TV series King of Kensington and has starred on hit shows like Degrassi and Goosebumps. Vacratsis is most known for her roles in Tommy Boy and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Louis Mandylor returns as Toula’s brother Nick and Gia Carides and Joey Fatone return as her cousins Nikki and Angelo. Mandylor recently starred in the Paramount+ series, The Offer, about the making of The Godfather. Carides has starred in several hit television shows in the last few years including Big Little Lies and Twin Peaks: The Return. Fatone is most recognizable as a former member of the hit boy band NSYNC. More recently, he has competed in and hosted reality game shows like Dancing with the Stars and Family Feud.
Elias Kacavas (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) will play Paris' love interest Aristotle while newcomer Melina Kotselou is also in the cast in an undisclosed role.
What Is My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 About?
The third My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie will follow the entire Portokalos family on a trip to a village in Greece for a family reunion in order to fulfill the last wish of the late patriarch Gus Portokalos. So far, every movie has featured a wedding. The first film showed Toula marrying her non-Greek love Ian and the second film shows Toula’s mother and father Maria and Gus marrying after finding out that the man who married them was not a real priest. There is no news on whether there will be a wedding in this sequel, but it looks highly likely.
The official synopsis via Focus Features reads:
From writer and director Nia Vardalos, the worldwide phenomenon My Big Fat Greek Wedding is coming back to theaters with a brand-new adventure. Join the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece for a heartwarming and hilarious trip full of love, twists and turns. Opa!
We last saw the Portokalos family in 2016. The anticipated return saw Toula and Ian’s life in a bit of a free fall. The family had lost the travel agency in the recession so Toula was back where she started, at their restaurant. Ian had been promoted to high school principal and the two were finding less and less time together. Meanwhile, their teenage daughter Paris was threatening to move far away for college. Gus and Maria’s wedding brought even more chaos to the family as a health scare and marital problems threatened to cancel the entire event. But in the end, the two were able to have their second wedding and the film ended with the entire family dropping Paris off for college in New York.
Who Is Making My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3?
The writer and director of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is Nia Vardalos. Vardalos got discovered by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson in 1997 when she wrote and starred in a one-woman show about growing up in a Greek household. Vardalos’ efforts as an actress and writer earned her critical and commercial success as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. She subsequently created a short-lived sitcom based on the series called, My Big Fat Greek Life. Apart from her work on My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequels, she wrote and starred in Connie & Carla alongside Toni Collette and co-wrote Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks. Though Vardalos has been writing for more than 20 years, her first directorial effort came in 2009 with I Hate Valentine’s Day where she starred alongside her My Big Fat Greek Wedding costar John Corbett.
Hanks and Wilson will produce the third film, as they did with the previous two films alongside Gary Goetzman who co-founded the couple's production company Playtone. Executive Producers on the film include Paul Brooks (Champions), Scott Niemeyer (Pitch Perfect), and Steven Shareshian (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again).
Where and When Did My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 Film?
Filming took place largely in the major city of Athens as well as the island of Corfu.
On June 21, 2022, Vardalos posted on Instagram that filming for the sequel had officially begun.
On August 4, 2022, Vardalos announced that filming for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 had wrapped.