Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (BENNY & BJÖRN)

Filmed: Summer and Autumn 2017

Location: Pinewood Studios, UK & Vis, Croatia

Release status: Thursday 20 July 2018, UK cinemas

Shown in: FILM

Additional information

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was a romantic musical comedy film directed and written by Ol Parker, from a story by Ol Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It was the sequel to the 2008 film Mamma Mia! The Movie, which was based on the musical of the same name. The film starred Meryl Streep (in a very small role at the end of the film), Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper plus Lily James (as a young Donna) and Cher as Donna's mother (Cher appeared in The Last Video in 2004).

Björn said on Lorraine, two days after the London première of Mamma Mia! The Movie in 2008 that a journalist had suggested that a sequel should be called Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!

Film production in the UK took place in the early summer 2017 in Oxfordshire (Oxford, Wytham and Wolvercote), when it was no secret that When I Kissed The Teacher and Angeleyes would be included as snippets of rehearsals and film shoots were released on social media.  Other than those two songs it was quite the mystery which other ABBA songs had made it into the final film.

In May 2018, a clip of When I Kissed The Teacher from the film was released which confirmed Björn's cameo appearance as a teacher in the film (although seemingly not the teacher being kissed!).  He was on-screen throughout the first half of the song and it more than doubled the amount of screen time that he had in Mamma Mia! The Movie where his appearance was just a few short seconds right at the very, very end of the film.  For this one, there was no chance he could escape being seen!

Benny confirmed on Lorraine and also on Sunday Night (the extra unbroadcast footage) that he would make an appearance.  His role ended up being a piano player in a bar/restaurant during the song Waterloo with a young Donna (Lily James) and a young Harry (Hugh Skinner).

We were all hoping that Frida and Agnetha would be included this time after they expressed that they would have been interested in appearing.  But they didn't.

The film was scheduled for release on Thursday 20 July 2018 with its world première at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.

The film soundtrack, expected to be released on 13 July 2018 contained 18 songs, with one of them, The Day Before You Came, sung by Meryl Streep which did not feature in the actual film.

The songs that did make it into the film were:

  1. When I Kissed The Teacher (Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies and Celia Imrie)
  2. I Wonder (Departure) (Lily James)
  3. One of Us (Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper)
  4. Waterloo (Lily James and Hugh Skinner)
  5. Why Did It Have To Be Me? (Josh Dylan, Lily James and Hugh Skinner)
  6. I Have A Dream (Lily James)
  7. Kisses of Fire (Panos Mouzourakis, Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies)
  8. Andante, Andante (Lily James)
  9. The Name of the Game (Lily James)
  10. Knowing Me, Knowing You (Jeremy Irvine, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried)
  11. Angeleyes (Christine Baranski & Julie Walters and Amanda Seyfried)
  12. Mamma Mia (Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies)
  13. Dancing Queen (Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried)
  14. I've Been Waiting For You (Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski & Julie Walters)
  15. Fernando (Cher and Andy Garcia)
  16. My Love, My Life (Lily James, Meryl Streep & Amanda Seyfried)
  17. Super Trouper (whole cast)
  18. The Day Before You Came (sung by Meryl Streep but did not feature in the actual film)

During film production the following songs were confirmed by Benny on the BBC Radio 5 Live interview,  appeared in trailers or were mentioned as follows (order unknown):

  1. When I Kissed The Teacher (with Björn and a narrowboat called Chiquitita)
  2. Angeleyes
  3. Waterloo
  4. Mamma Mia
  5. Dancing Queen
  6. Thank You for the Music
  7. I Wonder (Departure)
  8. I Have a Dream
  9. Kisses of Fire
  10. Fernando
  11. I’ve Been Waiting For You - mentioned by Julie Walters in an interview for the Liverpool Echo
  12. Knowing Me, Knowing You - mentioned by Pierce Brosnan and Judy Craymer in unrelated Instagram posts
  13. The Name Of The Game - mentioned by both Lily James and Benny Andersson in unrelated interviews
  14. Super Trouper - mentioned by Cher in an interview
  15. One of Us - mentioned by Cher in a tweet

The following songs had been mentioned as being included but did not appear:

  1. As Good As New - mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast
  2. If It Wasn't for the Nights - mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast
  3. On and On and On - mentioned by guitarist Janne Schaffer on an Aftonbladet podcast
  4. Head over Heels - mentioned by Lily James in a interview
  5. Like an Angel Passing Through My Room - mentioned by Dominic Cooper
  6. Summer Night City - mentioned by Judy Craymer
  7. The Way Old Friends Do

Thanks to Monique Hoevens c/o ABBAtalk.
YouTube links c/o Movieclips and Flicks And The City


Got any information to add?
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Contact me at abbaontv@yahoo.co.uk