Future of Sister Act sequel in doubt after Whoopi Goldberg's plea to Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Maggie Smith played the Reverend Mother in Sister Act 1 and 2 and a third film is in development. However, the future of the film is now in doubt following comments by Whoopi Goldberg.

The future of Sister Act 3 has been thrown into doubt following the sad passing of Dame Maggie Smith.

The iconic British actress passed away on Friday at the age of 89. She played the Reverend Mother in the hit comedy films Sister Act in 1992 and the sequel film, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit the following year alongside lead star Whoopi Goldberg who played Deloris Wilson-Van Cartier who goes undercover as Sister Mary Clarence as part of a witness protection project.

A third film in the series, titled Sister Act 3: Kicking the Habit, has been in development since 2020. However, Whoopi previously mentioned that she would only work on the film if Dame Maggie returned as the Reverend Mother. Appearing on Loose Women in January last year, the 68-year-old actress explained that her co-star was an integral part of the Sister Act magic. She said: "One of the things that I want to make sure I do while I'm here is I want to let Maggie Smith know that I'm holding the part of Mother Superior for you. Because I just can't do it with anybody but you."

Pleading directly to Dame Maggie at the time, Whoopi offered to make her involvement as simple as possible, stating: "So if you need me to come over here and shoot it and do whatever we have to do, we will do whatever you want us to do. But we don't want to do it without you, Maggie."

The family of Dame Maggie announced she had passed away at a London hospital on Friday. A statement released by her sons read: "It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother."

The statement added: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."

Her death has sparked an avalanche of tributes from other members of the acting industry who have praised her for her work over the years. Whoopi herself paid tribute to the star, sharing a snap of them together on Sister Act via Instagram and writing: "Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the 'one-of-a-kind'. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family…RIP."

Downton Abbey co-star, Hugh Bonnerville, was among the first to pay tribute to her passing, saying: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent. She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family.”

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