All part of the Act
Sister Act The Musical is based on the film of the same name, which was released in 1992 — and continues to hit the right note with movie fans.
Whoopi Goldberg led the cast as Deloris, with Maggie Smith, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Najimy, Bill Nunn and Wendy Makkena also starring in the movie.
Sister Act followed nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier, who is forced into witness protection after seeing her boyfriend kill someone — and ends up taking refuge in a convent.
While in hiding, she ends up turning the convent choir into a soulful chorus — complete with a Motown repertoire.
But Deloris finds herself in a tricky situation when the choir’s sudden celebrity status begins to jeopardise her identity.
Sister Act was a box-office hit — grossing $230 million, making it the eighth-highest grossing film that year — and began a franchise.
It was also nominated for a number of awards, including two Golden Globes: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
The sequel, Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit, hit screens the following year.
The musical was loosely based on the life of Iris Stevensonmccullough, and her time as the choir director at Crenshaw High School.
Whoopi, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, and Mary Wickes all reprised their roles from the previous film — with Lauryn Hill, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Alanna Ubach, and Jennifer Love Hewitt joining the cast.
This time around, the sisters — now teachers at St. Francis Academy — pay a visit to Deloris Van Cartier and ask her to take on the school’s music class and work her magic.
Deloris goes undercover once again as Mary Clarence as she helps the students — and tries to save the school, which is slated for closure.
Sister Act II grossed $124 million worldwide and has become a cult classic in the years since its release.
Deloris’ story continued in the musical adaptation of Sister Act, which has its stage debut in 2006 in California — and officially opened in the West End in 2009.
In 2015, it was reported that a remake of Sister Act was in the works.
The same year, Whoopi opened up about the possibility of a third instalment in the series using an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
She said, “I generally say no to that, because so many of the nuns have passed and it just wouldn’t feel right for me. I’m kind of old for it now.
“That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it, but it feels like there’s a new generation for Sister Act and so maybe I can be a nun now.”
Regina Y. Hicks and Karin Gist were hired to write the script for the film in 2018 — and two years later, Whoopi told how plans for another film were in the works and they were hoping to bring back as many of the original cast as possible.
In December that year, it was announced that she would be reprising her role as Deloris once again — and that Tyler Perry would be directing and producing the film, which is due to be released on Disney+.