To say some time has passed between Sister Act 3’s initial announcement and the current slate of 2024 movies is an understatement. As we come up on six years since the Whoopi Goldberg legacyquel was first officially put into development, producer Tyler Perry is one of the threads that ties the past and present together. While promoting his most recent Netflix movie, Perry got real about the ongoing wait and the one factor that’s causing the holdup.
As he was on deck to talk up his legal thriller Mea Culpa, Tyler Perry gave Entertainment Tonight an update on what is keeping the wheels from turning on Sister Act 3, which is in the works as a Disney+ project. One area in particular seems to be of great importance, according to the filmmaker, who said,
[We have] a great story we're working on that Whoopi [Goldberg]'s excited about, I'm excited about, the director's excited about, [and] so Disney's excited about. So we're working on getting that done. Once that's done, we're rolling!
It would appear that when it comes to Sister Act 3’s current filmmaking limbo, the most likely form of deliverance would be a completed script. On the one hand, that could be a hopeful sign, simply because Whoopi Goldberg’s “heartfelt appeal” to original co-star Maggie Smith may have been answered. Should that be the case, retooling the story around the Downton Abbey alum’s schedule and level of participation would be well worth getting the band back together.
However, the other side of the coin is that even with this promising update, the long wait for a new Sister Act is still pretty frustrating. Tyler Perry acknowledged that truth, saying:
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.
Tyler Perry's frustrations are valid, as Sister Act 3 took some huge steps in 2021 after hiring director Tim Federle and writer Madhuri Shekar. While 2023’s twin strikes from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA probably didn’t help move things along, the ecosystem of streaming can move much quicker than more traditional productions.
The fact that Tyler Perry has made four movies while waiting to see Sister Act 3 get into production is actually evidence of this. But as any franchise fan will tell you, the road to a sequel doesn’t always run as smoothly as it should, especially when some time has passed since the most recent installment was released.
Fans can presently stream both Sister Act movies, as they are available with a Disney+ subscription.
