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Malaysian-born, US-based Adele Lim has been chosen to steer the direction of “The Princess Diaries 3”, taking over from the late Garry Marshall who had made his stamp on the first two installments of the film, depicting the journey of transformation – from being a teenage girl, subjected to school bullying, to being summoned for princess duties.

Perhaps, it’s some kind of foreshadowing because Lim started off as script coordinator for Xena: Warrior Princess (2000), the American TV series tapping into New Zealand’s natural beauty, with several scenes shot there.

Now, many years later, Lim is to show and tell a much more impactful story with The Princess Diaries 3, having made her directorial debut in Joy Ride (2023).

Fans of The Princess Diaries are surely waiting for their favourite princess to come to life for the third time, not only for her witty and humourous jokes, but someone who has substance. Oh, if you’ve read the news reports and interviews, you’ll know that Lim is a diehard fan of the Princess Diaries original 2001 film.

Production of the third installment is set to begin in 2025, with many fans wondering whether Julie Andrews will be back to play the paternal grandmother to the princess aka granddaughter. So far, Anne Hathaway will return to Genovia to play everyone’s favourite princess.

Meg Cabot’s first book led to the first original film adaptation. Otherwise, the other two films are unrelated to Cabot’s 12 books that make up the entire series.

Part of the reason why The Princess Diaries is somewhat memorable and impactful is due to the fact that there are many parallels between the modern-day film and the classic Pygmalion, the play which later on got adapted for the stage in the form of My Fair Lady, in which Julie Andrews was cast to play Eliza Doolitle, the Cockney-accented flower seller.

Initially, the late Garry Marshall directed both the first original Princess Diaries film and the sequel The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement.

So, it’d be interesting to see what’s in store for viewers and critics, more than two decades later.

For Lim, this film will be the second Disney film added to her repertoire, having worked on Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

Lim was born into a Malaysian family of Hokkien Chinese descent, educated at the Sri Aman girls’ school in Petaling Jaya and much to Lim’s surprise, stayed on in the US, after completing her first degree at the private, non-profit institution Emerson College.