Disney announces Sister Act 3 with Whoopi Goldberg returning to star and produce the sequel

Nearly 30 years after donning that iconic habit, Whoopi Goldberg is returning to star in and produce the long-awaited sequel Sister Act 3.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey confirmed the sequel during his part of the four-hour Disney Investor Day presentation on Thursday.

No story details were given, though it was also revealed that Tyler Perry will come aboard as a producer on the sequel.

Sister Act followed Deloris, a lounge singer in Reno, Nevada, whose world is turned upside down when she sees her boyfriend Vince (Harvey Keitel) murder a mob informant.

A police detective (Bill Dunn) places her in witness protection at a convent, where she has trouble fitting in with the women of the cloth.

The 1992 comedy also starred Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena and Mary Wickes.

The movie was one of the biggest comedies of the 1990s, earning $139.6 million at the domestic box office, the third highest-grossing movie of the year behind Lethal Weapon 3 ($144.7 million) and Batman Returns ($162.8 million). 

The sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit was quickly put into development and released in 1993, following Delois teaching a group of Catholic school kids.

The follow-up didn’t fare nearly as well, earning just $57.3 million at the box office, though the property was adapted into a musical in 2006. 

Sister Act 3 was just one of many new live-action movie projects announced by Disney during their Investor’s Day in a four-hour live-streamed webcast.

The studio also confirmed Disenchanted, a sequel to the 2007 hit fairy tale fantasy film Enchanted, with Amy Adams returning to star as Gisele. 

The sequel will debut on Disney Plus, though no release date was given, and it’s unclear if Enchanted stars James Marsden or Patrick Dempsey will return as well.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing projects announced during the lengthy presentation was Lightyear, a new animated film debuting in theaters June 17, 2022.

In the Toy Story franchise, the Buzz Lightyear doll was based on an iconic movie character, and now Pixar will be making a movie about the ‘original’ Buzz, voiced by Chris Evans.

Evans himself took to Twitter after the announcement to confirm the movie will follow, ‘the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear the toy is based on.’

Disney also announced a long-awaited sequel Hocus Pocus 2, which will be available exclusively on Disney Plus.

Adam Shankman (What Men Want, Rock of Ages) is set to direct this sequel, along with the Disenchanted sequel as well.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy starred as three witches who were inadvertently resurrected.

All three stars reunited for a Halloween special in October, and it seems likely they will all return for the sequel.

The studio also announced a new version of the 1980s classic Three Men and a Baby during the presentation. 

Zac Efron is attached to star in the film, which is slated for a 2022 release on Disney Plus, though no other casting or filmmaker details were released.

The original Three Men and a Baby starred Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson (directed by Leonard Nimoy), which spawned the 1989 sequel Three Men and a Little Lady. 

The studio also announced three movies based on the inspiring true stories of three real-life athletes, NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul, and heroic football coach Keanon Lowe, which will all debut on Disney Plus.

Disney will also reimagine the Cheaper By the Dozen franchise, with a new creative vision from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris.

Gabrielle Union has been set to star in this comedy following a ‘blended family of 12, navigating their hectic home life and their family business.’ 

The studio also announced Flora and Ulysses, based on the Kate DiCamillo novel, will debut on February 19 while revealing the new poster. 

Another popular property Disney is resurrecting is Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, an original hybrid live-action/animated movie debuting on Disney Plus. 

John Mulaney will voice Chip with Andy Samberg voicing Dale and Seth Rogen also teased to have a cameo, with Akiva Schaffer directing.

The studio also confirmed the cast of The Little Mermaid live-action adaptation, with Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric and Awkwafina as Scuttle.

Another Disney classic that is being reimagined is Turner and Hooch, with Josh Peck starring alongside, ‘a sweet and slobbery mastiff’ on Disney Plus. 

The Mighty Ducks franchise is also coming back to life with a new TV series that picks up where the films left off, with Emilio Estevez returning as Gordon Bombay, and Lauren Graham also starring.

Disney Plus will also be home to a new original sports series entitled Big Shot, starring John Stamos who takes over as coach of a girls high school basketball team, with Yvette Nicole Brown and Jessalyn Gilsig also starring.

The best-selling book series The Mysterious Benedict Society is also coming to Disney Plus with a new series starring Tony Hale and Kristen Schaal.

The beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise will also make the shift from live-action to animation, with a new film debuting on Disney Plus in 2021. 

The studio also announced Disney Animation’s first ever original animated shows, Baymax, Zootopia+, Tiana and Moana, arriving in 2022 and 2023. 

Pixar also announced its new film Luca, the story of the celebration of the title character’s friendship with his best friend Alberto, arriving in theaters next summer.

Pixar is also releasing a new animated series entitled Dug Days, a spin-off of Up where the dog Dug discovers the ‘dangers of suburbia,’ debuting on Disney Plus in Fall 2021.

The studio also released new images from Raya and the Last Dragon, including Boun, Tong, Noi and Sisu.

They also introduced a collaboration with Pan-African company Kugali to create a new sci-fi series dubbed Iwaju, debuting on Disney Plus in 2022.

And finally, Hulu also announced a new deal making the service the exclusive streaming home of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.