Whoopi Goldberg is determined to bring Sister Act 3 to screens, according to insiders, with the star particularly interested in casting ‘no-brainer’ Jennifer Hudson.
The View co-host, 67, will reprise her role as the beloved Deloris Van Cartier – aka Sister Mary Clarence – for a third installment, 30 years after the original blockbuster hit screens.
The long-awaited project was greenlit in December 2020, and Whoopi is reportedly keen to ‘figure out’ the finances and ‘move quickly’ on production – which hit a ‘traffic light’ due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes..
“One person who would like to add Whoopi to the film is Jennifer Hudson, especially after seeing what Jennifer did with the character when she did Sister Act for Halloween on her show last year,” a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
Whoopi Goldberg is determined to bring Sister Act 3 to screens, with the star particularly keen to hire Jennifer Hudson for a key role, insiders tell DailyMail.com
The Ghost actress will reprise her beloved role as Deloris Van Cartier, aka Sister Mary Clarence, for a third edition of the film
“It would be a no-brainer to get Jennifer, Whoopi would love it if that happened.”
Jennifer wowed The View cohost (and Sister Act fans) last year when she dressed up as Whoopi’s famous character and delivered a breathtaking medley from the film franchise.
Whoopi had nothing but praise for the star’s tribute at the time, joking on The View that she could lose her role to the EGOT winner.
The insider continued: “The new Sister Act is going to happen. They have the idea, they have Whoopi. Once the strikes are over, they will be ready to make the film for the fans and a new generation.
‘They’re not at a dead end; they are more likely to be at a traffic light. They have to figure out what the money is and who to cast, but Whoopi really wants to get the ball rolling and she has a feeling that once Hollywood gets back to work, Sister Act will move quickly.”
They claimed that the recent ‘success and fanfare’ of Hocus Pocus 2 has prompted bosses to distribute the film to fans.
‘It will happen. Whoopi isn’t going to let this die. Everything comes back – Coming to America came back!’
The insider also claimed that the film will be a “celebration” with an “endless number of cameos.”
Jennifer wowed The View cohost and Sister Act fans last year when she dressed up as Whoopi’s famous character to deliver a breathtaking medley from the Sister Act films
A source revealed to DailyMail.com that Whoopi thought it was a ‘no-brainer’ for Oscar winner Jennifer to join the project – pictured together in 2016
“Good times are coming,” they said. “Whoopi is ready and already has a handful of non-puns for the tagline and what they want to call the movie.”
The actress has previously spoken out about her desire to see Dame Maggie Smith reprise her role as Mother Superior for one last hurray.
Speaking to British panel show Loose Women in January, the Ghost star explained: ‘You know, one of the things I definitely want to do while I’m here is….
“I want to let Maggie Smith know that I am fulfilling the role of Mother Superior for you. Because I just can’t do it with anyone else but you.’
She then added, “So if you want me to come here (to England) and shoot and do what we need to do, then we’ll do what you want us to do, but we don’t want to do it without you.” ”
Actress and singer Keke Palmer expressed her desire to star in the film by reposting a fan-made poster saying she had been cast alongside Whoopi and Bette Midler.
Whoopi continued, “I like the script, you know we’re all going to do what we have to do. I’m trying to get a director!’
It’s not the first time Whoopi, real name Caryn Elaine Johnson, has reached out to her former co-star, having also made a plea during an appearance on the BBC’s The One Show last year.
Elsewhere, actress and singer Keke Palmer expressed her desire to star in the film after sharing a fan-made poster showing she had been cast alongside Whoopi and Bette Midler.
“God bless you all for this manifestation in my life. @WaltDisneyCo this is what they asked for, I’m just here to pass it on,” she wrote on Twitter.
Whoopi shared the same fake poster, warning fans that it was fake casting, but confirming that the film was still in production.
Last month, Whoopi hinted that Vatican City could be the location of the upcoming film, during a visit with the Pope.
She asked her 1.3 million followers to introduce ‘Sister Act and all the nuns standing here waiting for the Pope to come out’ as she stood in front of St Peter’s Square.
She continued, “Maybe that will happen in the movie – you never know. But we are in Rome and we are in Vatican City.”
A script is still in production, with producer Tyler Perry previously warning fans that the Hollywood system tends to move slower than expected
Disney officially announced in December 2020 that they planned to develop the project for a possible streaming release on Disney+.
Billionaire producer Tyler Perry has also signed on to the project, previously saying: “We have a good script….
“We’re just trying to get everyone moving in the right direction to get it going.”
Jimmy Fallon threw himself into the ring for a guest appearance, while Whoopi’s The View hosts Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farrah Griffin joked that they “could be nuns too.”