“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” has started filming in Athens, Greece. The franchise’s writer and star Nia Vardalos made the announcement on her Instagram page, and she also revealed that she is directing this third installment. The film will mark Vardalos’ next feature directorial outing after 2009’s “I Hate Valentine’s Day.”
“We are in Greece filming ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ and thank you for all the lovely messages of just waiting,” Vardalos said. The director’s caption added:”Thank you to Playtone, Gold Circle, HBO and Focus!” Vardalos wrote in the post’s caption. And much love and gratitude to you all for your support as we waited to film. Greece baby. Greece!”
The original “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was released in 2002 to wide acclaim. Vardalos, who wrote the screenplay as well as starring, bagged an Oscar nomination for the film for original screenplay.
Directed by Joel Zwick, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” follows Fotoula “Toula” Portokalos (Vardalos), a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek man (John Corbett). Going against her family’s objections, Toula marries him, thus kicking off a hilarious struggle to get her family to accept him while she herself comes to terms with her heritage.
The original film became a mega-hit and still holds the crown as the highest-grossing romantic comedy ever made. Its massive success spawned a sequel in 2016, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.” Coming in with a domestic box office gross just shy of $60 million, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” was lambasted by critics and fans alike.
Plot and cast details for “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” remain under wraps for now. The late Michael Constantine, who played Toula’s father Gus in the previous films, passed away last year and was unable to begin filming on the newest installment before it started.
“He had told me he wouldn’t be able to join us for the third film and his wish was that we go on,” Vardalos wrote in an Instagram post last year. “I wrote the screenplay to reflect Michael’s decision and will always treasure his last messages to me, hoping we were filming soon.”