10 More Insulting Ways Characters Were Killed Off Between Movies
3. Donna Dies Randomly Because Meryl Streep Wanted Out - Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
The Mamma Mia sequel is perhaps the only film in history to actively shove Meryl Streep to the periphery and decide it needed less of her. Well, sort of.
When a sequel to the hit Abba-themed musical rom-com was announced, many were naturally excited to see the Oscar-winning legend back among the main cast, yet as Streep proved to be strangely absent from the film's marketing materials, they became understandably suspicious.
And as it turned out, that's because Streep's character Donna died of an unspecified cause prior to the events of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Basically, the film pulls a Godfather Part II and spends much of its runtime on decades-prior flashbacks, with the part of a younger Donna played by Lily James (quite well, admittedly).
Donna's death was a bit of an unnecessary bummer all things considered, and the fact we don't learn precisely what happened to her didn't help at all.
The reason for killing her off between films was apparently due to Streep's unwillingness to return for a major role in the sequel and, in the words of producer Judy Craymer, her desire to "[leave] this to the younger ones."
As if to prove to audiences she didn't completely nope out of the project, though, Streep does appear briefly at the end of the film, showing up as a ghost during the christening of her daughter Sophie's (Amanda Seyfried) son.
Yet given that Streep's name and face were still featured prominently on the movie's posters, it felt like a bit of a crass bait-and-switch.