Whoopi Goldberg has always been a kind of Wonder Woman in the movie industry, hasn’t she? The actress is among the coveted 16 people in the entertainment industry with an EGOT to their name, and these days, she continues to play buzzed-about roles, such as Mother Abagail in The Stand, and continues to host The View with the other ladies at the daytime desk. Next on the actress’ list is diving into the superhero world with a movie hero of her own.
The 65-year-old icon has revealed that she is penning a script that will be about a superhero who is an older Black woman, played by herself. She shared her inspiration for the project to Variety, saying:
Since I was a little kid, I’ve been obsessed with superheroes. They’re all saving the earth all the time. But do you know who’s really going to save the earth? Old Black women.
The fact that Whoopi Goldberg is taking the narrative into her hands as opposed to signing onto a Marvel or DC film is super exciting to hear. The actress developed TV series in the early '00s with the six-season medical drama Strong Medicine and the Nickelodeon family series Just For Kicks. Back in the ‘80s, she was also a comedian who would write her standup material and release specials alongside Billy Crystal and the late Robin Williams.
Whoopi Goldberg has noticed an untapped market in the expansive superhero genre and she’s just going for it. More often than not, superheroes fulfill the same parameters over and over again. They are often in their mid-20s to 30s, have an athletic build and have long been predominantly white. In the past few years, Hollywood has been paying attention to casting more diverse heroes and storytellers to comic book projects, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but an older Black woman saving the world? We haven’t seen it.
It’s a great idea that comes on the heels of Whoopi Goldberg getting ready to return to her role as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act 3, which is currently in the works. The movie that will come exclusively to Disney+ will be written by Madhuri Shekar and produced by Goldberg and Tyler Perry. Whoopi Goldberg is also expected to return to Star Trek for Picard in the upcoming second season.
The actress has dabbled in being a superhero recently through her voice work for Hulu’s M.O.D.O.K. She lends her voice talents to a character named Poundcakes, who is part of a team of Marvel female wrestlers called The Grapplers.
Whoopi Goldberg announced her superhero project while reflecting on 30 years since her Oscar win for Ghost. The actress definitely has us excited for what she has planned for the upcoming project after The Stand miniseries ended earlier this year.
