A new documentary on Whoopi Goldberg is being produced by Imagine Documentaries and Message Pictures, directed by Geeta Gandbhir. The film will explore her life, drawing from her autobiography and following her current activities. It highlights her career achievements and ongoing projects.
Imagine Documentaries and Message Pictures, in association with One Hoe Productions, are partnering to produce an untitled documentary about Whoopi Goldberg, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, known for “The Perfect Neighbor.” The project expands on Goldberg’s autobiography, “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me,” providing an intimate look at her rise through observational verité footage of her present life.
The documentary captures Goldberg as she reimagines her 1984 Broadway debut one-woman show, “The Whoopi Monologues,” for Lincoln Center, scheduled to open later this summer. It also documents her collaboration with producing partner Tom Leonardis, with whom she has worked for more than 30 years, on new theater projects, time spent with family including her new great-grandbaby, and her life in Italy.
Geeta Gandbhir stated, “Whoopi Goldberg is a brilliant and groundbreaking storyteller who has shaped the landscape of entertainment for years.” She added that she, along with partners Sam Pollard and Alisa Payne at Message Pictures, Tom Leonardis, president of Whoop, Inc., and Imagine Documentaries, are honored to bring her story to life. Sara Bernstein, president of Imagine Documentaries, said, “Imagine is thrilled to reunite with my friend and longtime collaborator the exceptional Geeta Gandbhir, Tom Leonardis and Message Pictures on this extraordinary opportunity to celebrate the singular icon that is Whoopi Goldberg. The world needs more Whoopi!”
Goldberg won an Oscar for best supporting actress as Oda Mae Brown in “Ghost,” becoming the first Black woman to receive the award in 50 years, following Hattie McDaniel’s 1940 win for “Gone With the Wind.” She is one of 22 people to achieve EGOT status, with two Emmys in 2002 and 2009, and a Tony in 2002 for producing “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Currently, Goldberg and Leonardis are developing “Sister Act 3” for Disney+ and serving as executive producers on ABC/Hulu’s “Welcome to My Funeral” (working title), with a pilot episode focused on Goldberg.
Reflecting on her career nearly three decades after her Oscar win, Goldberg told Variety, “That I’m still here. I didn’t fade away. I didn’t disappear. I’m still here and still here doing me.” The producers include Bernstein, Leonardis, Gandbhir, Payne, Meredith Kaulfers, Sam Pollard, and Justin Wilkes, with executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
