LOS ANGELES – Greek-Canadian actress, writer, and producer Nia Vardalos confirmed on social media on April 7 that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is in the works but the COVID pandemic has delayed the project.

“Yes, it is true that for over a year we have been trying to film a script that I wrote called My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” Vardalos, 58, said in a Video posted on Instagram, ABC News reported adding that “she had to come clean after ‘the news leaked because one Greek found out.’”

Vardalos noted that “of course, the entire cast is invited back,” but “the bad news is that the upcoming project is currently ‘not filming,’ as Vardalos said they can’t get insurance amid the pandemic as an independent project,” ABC News reported.

The film’s star and writer said that “only studio films are currently able to obtain insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the indie movie industry in the lurch,” ABC News reported.

While Vardalos said that “she appreciated fans’ ‘enthusiasm’ over the upcoming title, she called for patience and joked that people need to ‘stop calling my mom’s house and asking if you can be in it,’” ABC News reported.

“Yes, everyone can be in it,” she said, adding that once they get insured, they are “going to Greece to film,” ABC News reported.

The first film of what will eventually be a trilogy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding starred John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone, among the many talented cast members and became a box office hit in 2002. Produced by Greek-American Rita Wilson and her husband Tom Hanks, the film earned Vardalos a Golden Globe nomination for acting and an Academy Award nomination for her screenplay. The film with a budget of just $5 million, grossed $368.7 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

A TV-series based on the film appeared on CBS in 2003, but only lasted seven episodes before declining ratings led to its cancellation. The film’s sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, released in 2016, was produced with a bigger budget than the original, $18 million, and grossed $90.6 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Vardalos was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of Greek-Canadian parents Doreen Christakos, a bookkeeper and homemaker, and Constantine “Gus” Vardalos, a land developer born in Kalavryta.

Source: Thenationalherald.com