Tyler Perry gives update on if Sister Act 3 is going to happen
Is Disney still going ahead with Sister Act 3? Tyler Perry just gave an update on the long-awaited sequel to the Whoopi Goldberg hit and if it's still happening for Disney+!
Whoopi Goldberg has had a long and storied career, from a stand-up comic to winning an Oscar for Ghost and now co-hosting The View. Probably the highlight of Goldberg's career was the 1992 Touchstone Pictures comedy Sister Act. She played Deloris Van Cartier, a Vegas singer who accidentally witnesses a mob murder. The police decide to stash her in the last place anyone would look: a convent.
Posing as Sister Mary Clarence, Deloris soon fires up the nuns into a popular choir. The movie was a monster success, grossing $231 million, the biggest box office hit of Goldberg's career. A sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, followed in 1993. It was also adapted into a Broadway musical, produced by Goldberg who even did a stint as the Mother Superior for the New York production.
Over the years, Goldberg has talked of wanting to do a third movie, and it picked up steam in the late 2010s. Disney announced plans for a sequel to premiere on Disney+ in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Goldberg has been hopeful to get others involved.
In fact, when Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared on The View to promote the third season of Abbott Elementary, Goldberg invited her to reprise her role from Sister Act 2 as part of a plan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the films.
The plans are still underway for the sequel, which will be produced by Goldberg and noted writer/producer Tyler Perry. This would follow Disney+ providing sequels to past Disney movies from Hocus Pocus to The Mighty Ducks. So, is it happening?
Tyler Perry on the Sister Act 3 progress
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Perry acknowledged there have been a lot of issues trying to get a script for the movie right. The 2023 WGA/SAG strikes were another blow to the movie's progress, and Perry admitted he's frustrated that nearly four years after being announced, the movie isn't moving as fast as he'd want.
""I'm a little annoyed with how long this has taken me. It's taking so long, like I've done four movies since we started talking about this. When I'm outside producing with -- you know, Disney's a huge, wonderful company, but I really want to get this movie, and Whoopi really wants to get this movie." "
It appears the key issue is trying to craft the right story to explain what Deloris has been up to in the last 30 years and what could bring her back to her old convent buddies. "Legacy sequels" can be a mixed bag and Goldberg wants to do right by the movie's many fans.
So far, there's no word on the cast, although Goldberg has made it clear she'd love original cast members Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and Wendy Makkena on board. It was also reported that Bette Middler would appear, which would be ironic as Middler was offered the lead in the original movie only to turn it down. Goldberg has also mentioned hoping to get stars like Keke Palmer and Lizzo on board.
As Tyler says, it's still up in the air as to when Sister Act 3 can hit Disney+, but Goldberg seems bound and determined to get back into that "habit" one more time.
Sister Act 1 & 2 streaming on Disney+.