Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Timing: 1:48 (108 min)

6.973/10
6946

7.204/10
101465

6.5/10
303000

All about film

Video 5

Photo 97

Actors and characters

Release date

2008-07-03

Country

Germany, United Kingdom, United States

Production

Playtone, Littlestar, Internationale Filmproduktion Richter

Genre

Comedy, Romance

Budget

$52 000 000

Revenue

$609 841 637

Website

http://www.mammamiamovie.com

Director

Phyllida Lloyd

Actors

Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski, Niall Buggy, Chris Jarvis
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Gary Goetzman, Judy Craymer, Tom Hanks, Mark Huffam, Rita Wilson, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus

Operator

Haris Zambarloukos

Composer

Benny Andersson

Artist

Audition

Ellen Lewis, Priscilla John

Editing

Lesley Walker
All team (128)

• Filming for the movie took place in London and Greece.
• Bill Nighy was originally supposed to play his namesake, Bill, but the actor left the project just before filming began. Stellan Skarsgård replaced him.
• The film is an adaptation of the eponymous musical, based on songs by the famous Swedish group ABBA, which is a huge success worldwide.
• This is Phyllida Lloyd's debut in feature films; before this, she worked on theatrical and television productions.
• The screenplay for the film was written by Kathrine Johnson, one of the creators of the original musical.
• The premiere of 'Mamma Mia!' in Stockholm was attended by all four members of the legendary quartet – Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus.
• According to Meryl Streep, she dreamed of singing since school, so she agreed to participate almost immediately. Immersing herself in the atmosphere of ABBA's songs was like 'returning to an old beloved home' for her.
• The main difference between the film and the musical is the number of ABBA songs. There are 22 in the musical and only 19 in the film.
• Mandy Moore, Amanda Bynes, Rachel McAdams, and Emmy Rossum all auditioned for the role of Sophie.
• Two versions of the film were shot – one with the musical's cast, and the other with film stars.
• ABBA members and film producers Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson recorded the instrumental parts of the songs and consulted the musical director of the production, Martin Lowe.
• Actors from the Swedish stage production of “MAMMA MIA!” were invited to perform as the chorus.
• At the beginning of the film, a Swedish flag can be seen on the yacht of Stellan Skarsgård’s character. This is a reference to the fact that ABBA, whose songs the musical is based on, originates from Sweden.
• Sound for the musical scenes was recorded live on set during takes, rather than, as is usual, in a studio after filming.
• During the performance of the song "Dancing Queen" (0:37:56) Benny Andersson appears in the film, and in the finale during the performance of "Waterloo" (1:39:09) Björn Ulvaeus, members of the ABBA group, appears with the Greek gods.
• In the theatrical version of the musical, Bill Anderson, played by Skarsgård, has the surname Austin.
• The film is based on the musical of the same name.
• All four members of the legendary quartet attended the film's premiere in Stockholm.
• According to Meryl Streep, she dreamed of singing since school, so she agreed to participate almost immediately.
• Mandy Moore, Amanda Bynes, Rachel McAdams, and Emmy Rossum all auditioned for the role of Sophie.
• Sound for the musical scenes was recorded live on set, not in a studio.
• Pierce Brosnan (who played Sam) had no idea what the project was when he agreed to participate. He was only told that filming would take place in Greece and that his co-star would be Meryl Streep (who was cast as Donna). Upon hearing about Streep, Brosnan said he would have agreed to a role in any project, just because Streep was involved.
• The film only offers hints as to the true identity of the father of the main character played by Amanda Seyfried. According to screenwriter Katherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd, the main character’s father is Bill Anderson, played by Stellan Skarsgård. In the original stage production, Bill was Australian, but in the film, he is Swedish, thus making Sophie’s homeland – like that of the ABBA group – Sweden.
• The film only hints at the true identity of Amanda Seyfried's character's father. According to screenwriter Katherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd, the father is Bill Anderson, played by Stellan Skarsgård. In the original stage production, Bill was Australian, but in the film he is Swedish, thus Sophie's homeland – like that of ABBA – is Sweden.