Mamma Mia! Sequel Says ‘No’ to Greece, Takes a Chance on Croatia Instead

Skopelos Island. Photo: © Corina de Kiviet / Shutterstock

The sequel to Hollywood blockbuster “Mamma Mia!” that put the small Greek island of Skopelos in the international spotlight will be filmed in Croatia instead.

“Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again” featuring Oscar winner Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, will be filmed on the Croatian island of Vis in the coming fall.

According to media reports, the Croatian isle will “replace” the Greek island of Skopelos as a setting to the sequel with sources at the Skopelos municipality insisting it will be filmed on the island despite issuing no official statement on the matter.

Meanwhile, Skopelos Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education and Tourism Athina Daki told Tachydromos magazine that “such decisions are made based on financial factors and on the budget set out by the producers.

“It is not a loss for us because Skopelos continues to be the island of ‘Mamma Mia’ and continues to hold the story wherever the film may be filmed,” adding however that relevant announcements are in the pipeline.

Meanwhile Venia Vergou, the Director of the Hellenic Film Commission, a division of the Greek Film Center established in March 2017, spoke to the Greek Travel Pages (GTP) and said that the “Mamma Mia” production company had never communicated with the Greek Film Center to discuss the issue. The Hellenic Film Commission’s objective is to promote Greece internationally as a place suitable for audiovisual productions of every kind.

According to reports, the decision to film in Croatia was based on tax breaks and financial incentives. The country has gained significant ground as a major filming location for such hits as Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Robin Hood.