Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act 3 has hit a setback.
The legendary comedienne has revealed that the long-gestating Disney+ sequel has been affected by the passing of Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning actress who played Mother Superior in the original 1992 blockbuster.
Sister Act was a phenomenon. Made for $31 million, the film about a Reno lounge singer (Goldberg) hiding in a convent after witnessing her mob boss boyfriend commit murder earned $231.6 million globally. It was the third-biggest film domestically that year—behind only Batman Returns and Lethal Weapon 3.
The franchise seemed unstoppable. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit arrived in December 1993, just 13 months later. But getting a third installment off the ground has proved difficult.
In 2020, Goldberg confirmed the threequel was happening. "It's going to happen. Stay excited," she told Elle.com, while also describing the behind-the-scenes chaos: actors kept asking her to improvise without a script.
Disney+ officially greenlit the project that December with Tyler Perry producing, Tim Federle directing, and Madhuri Shekar writing the script. By April 2022, Federle expressed optimism during press rounds, telling reporters the studio was prioritizing the Sister Act franchise and that Goldberg was "really excited."
But the cast is no longer complete. Smith died in September 2024 at age 89. Her role as the witty Mother Superior, who balanced Goldberg's comedic energy, cannot easily be replaced.
Goldberg has not completely closed the door on the project, but the loss of Smith presents a real creative and emotional challenge for the franchise.
