Nia Vardalos directing My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 in Greece: 'Much love and gratitude'

Bust out your celebratory bundt, because Nia Vardalos is returning to direct My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 — in Greece!

"Thank you so much for the lovely messages [and for] waiting," the Oscar-nominated screenwriter said in an Instagram video Tuesday. "We're filming in the beautiful Plaka of Athens," she added, teasing a brief shot of the on-location shoot from her hotel room window. She later shared the Greek word for "director," confirming that she is helming the third film in the series.

In her caption, she also thanked "Playtone, Gold Circle, HBO and Focus" for working with her on the production, and said she felt "much love and gratitude" on set to those who remained enthusiastic and showed "support as we waited to film."

Plot details are under wraps for now, though Vardalos discussed potential returning cast members last year in an emotional Instagram photo. In the post, Vardalos can be seen reuniting with the original film's stars Lainie Kazan, Louis Mandylor, and Gia Carides to honor the memory of the late Michael Constantine, who died in September 2021. Constantine played the Portokalos family patriarch in 2002 original, which told the story of his daughter, Toula Portokalos, a young Greek woman who, against the will of her family, begins a relationship with a non-Greek man (John Corbett) to hilarious results.

"He had told me he wouldn't be able to join us for the third film and his wish was that we go on," Vardalos said. "I wrote the screenplay to reflect Michael's decision and will always treasure his last messages to me, hoping we were filming soon."

Often regarded as one of the best romantic comedies of the modern era, My Big Fat Greek Wedding became an unexpected titan at the box office upon its initial release, grossing just under $369 million worldwide on a $5 million budget. Vardalos received her first Academy Award nomination for writing the film's script and continued the series through two other projects: a CBS sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Life, which was canceled in 2003 after only seven episodes, and the 2016 sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, a modest box office success that earned $90 million worldwide on an $18 million budget despite mostly negative reviews.

"I was waiting for motherhood to come my way, to explore the emotions that a mom would know because I had written that Toula and Ian were parents at the end of the first film, and I wanted to keep the story linear," Vardalos previously told EW of writing the second film. "The wait for the sequel is completely my fault."

Watch Vardalos announce My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 above.

Hear more on all of today's must-see picks on EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.

Related content:

• Michael Constantine, My Big Fat Greek Wedding star, dies at 94
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Nia Vardalos talks the sequel
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: EW review