Here's Whoopi Goldberg's Casting Wish List For Sister Act 3
Sound the horns, set off the fireworks! "Sister Act 3" is approaching! That's right, everyone's wildest movie dream seems to finally be coming true: Whoopi Goldberg will don the habit once again.
"Sister Act" is the story of a Reno lounge singer who gets put into witness protection in a San Francisco nunnery. This absurd and seemingly trite fish out of water setup actually lends itself to a surprisingly funny and heartfelt movie. Audiences agreed, as "Sister Act" was one of the most successful comedies of the '90s, spawning a sequel just one year later and even a Broadway show.
Now, after a couple of apparent false starts, it appears a new addition to the "Sister Act" franchise is on its way, more than twenty years after the original film. While previous rumors indicated that Goldberg wouldn't be involved, it seems that this time she is fully on board and enthusiastic about the new movie.
Goldberg isn't just excited; she's ambitious. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the comedian revealed some of the stars that she's planning to try and recruit for "Sister Act 3," and the list features some pretty big names from the worlds of both acting and music:
"I'm going to ask for Keke [Palmer] to come in. I want everybody to come in. I want Lizzo to come in. I want everybody. I want the girl with the chest, what's her name?... Nicki [Minaj]! I want Nicki to come. I want everybody. I want as many people who want to have some fun, because I really, desperately need to have some fun."
Lizzo appeared in Lorene Scafaria's 2019 true crime drama "Hustlers" and Minaj voiced characters in "Steven Universe" and "The Angry Birds Movie 2," so "Sister Act 3" certainly isn't out of the question for the two pop stars!
Time to grow up
Some may say the long layoff between "Sister Act 2" and the upcoming sequel is indicative of a shameless cash grab, but according to Goldberg, it was something she felt she needed to do.
"It feels right because we did 'Sister Act 1' and '2' back to back, which is why I think they are really great. But now you need some space on it and you need to let [my character] grow up and become an adult, which is what's happened. We'll see. She was an adult when she started but she's much more of an adult now."
Seeing the long-term growth of the series' characters should help add some freshness to the movie. Goldberg's character, Deloris, did quite a lot of growing up in the first movie as she became an unlikely mentor to the choir at Saint Katherine's Convent, and in "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" she had to coach a choir of rebellious teens. "Sister Mary Clarence" returning to teach a new cast of young characters is a likely storyline for "Sister Act 3."
Goldberg seems to have some high hopes for her ensemble cast, and more power to her. To get Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Nicki Minaj on screen together, potentially dressed as nuns, would be a spectacle worth the price of admission (or the price of a Disney+ subscription).