Overview
- Meg Cabot said on CBS Mornings on Saturday that Disney told her it would remove or alter Mia Thermopolis’s father in the 2001 film so Julie Andrews could have more dialogue and screen time.
- Cabot noted the change departed from her novels, where Mia’s father is alive, and in the movie the character appears only in flashbacks played by René Auberjonois.
- The decision reflected Disney’s push to maximize Andrews’s role after recruiting the star for her first Disney film since Mary Poppins, a choice Cabot said the studio made explicitly to expand the grandmother’s part.
- Cabot also confirmed that Princess Diaries 3 is in active development, that she has read multiple scripts and that location scouting for a castle is under way, while final casting and Andrews’s participation remain unresolved.
- The episode highlights how studio casting priorities can reshape source material and signals that casting availability and creative choices will be central issues as the franchise moves toward a possible third film.