Nia Vardalos’s film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, loosely based on her childhood and romantic experiences, enjoyed an unprecedented run at the box office in 2002. The film, propelled to tremendous success by word-of-mouth alone, eventually became a romantic comedy with the highest total worldwide gross.
Not bad for an independent film featuring a forty-year-old actress with whom most viewers were unfamiliar. As a result, it should not come as a surprise that the considerable success led to the creation of a television series (which lasted just a few seasons) and then, in 2016, a sequel. But who would have guessed that we’d be here for the third and final round?
In June of 2022, Vardalos announced on Instagram that not only is MBFGW 3 going to take place, but that production had already begun in Greece. And Vardalos will be behind the camera this time herself!
The Cast
Vardalos will reprise her role as Toula, but other than her, no other confirmed cast members have been revealed. However, on Instagram, Joey Fatone gave the impression that he is interested in the project; which, to tell you the truth, makes me quite delighted.
In 2021, Michael Constantine, who had portrayed the role of patriarch Gus, died away. Because Lainie Kazan, who described Toula’s mother, Maria, is now 82, we can only speculate that her participation will be limited.
The Plot
Since Vardalos shot the video of her announcement in Athens; we can only assume that she and her family will go there. In the second installment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film series; Gus and Maria, the family’s matriarch, get remarried (even though the original certificate for their marriage has never been approved), and Ian and Toula renew their vows.
Paris, the couple’s daughter, attends her high school prom and then goes to college. I’m just going to come out and say it: the first scene of this movie most likely involves Gus’s burial.
Filming Locations
To film the sequel, Vardalos and the rest of My Big Fat Greek Wedding actors went to Athens; located in Greece. At least one of the scenes is being filmed in the Plaka area, which is close to the Acropolis.
The Director
In June of 2022, Vardalos said she would be directing the upcoming sequel to the film I wouldn’t say I like Valentine’s Day, which she had previously helmed.
Sequel 1 vs. Sequel 2
This sequel, also written by Nia Vardalos, makes the mistake of removing her to a recurring role in one of the way too many intertwined subplots; none of which are convincing. In addition, whereas the first film worked primarily through the immense likability of its star and writer, Nia Vardalos, this remake makes the mistake of removing her to a supporting role.
Toula, played by Vardalos, is a delightfully self-deprecating character who, in this installment; is tasked with managing the turmoil imposed upon her by an assortment of members of her eccentric family.
It comes out that Toula’s parents, Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan), who operate a restaurant in Chicago, aren’t genuinely married. This is the most manufactured of these predicaments. They married in Greece fifty years ago, but the local priest never approved their marriage certificate. This indicates that there must be a — you got it — another obscenely large wedding in Greece.
