Original Stars Return for Hocus Pocus Sequel

Just in time for Halloween, news on a sequel to the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus was released by parent company Disney. Although the original didn’t do as well as they’d hoped at the box office, it’s not without its fans. In fact, nearly 30 years after the film’s release, it has garnered quite the cult following. Cashing in on this cultural phenomenon, Disney plans to revive the tale of the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus 2.

The original movie follows a group of children who accidentally resurrect the Sanderson sisters after they were hung to death for witchcraft in the 1600s. The film’s campy vibes and Bette Midler’s iconic musical number, “I Put A Spell On You” have bewitched fans for the last several decades.

The franchise’s sequel was originally announced back in 2019 when Variety reported it was in development for Disney+. Back in 2018, it was reported that the Disney channel was looking to develop a for TV movie picking up where the original left off and possibly featuring a same sex couple, a huge seller for the original film’s queer fans.

The film will be available exclusively on Disney+, Disney’s streaming service. Bette Midler, who played Winnie Sanderson in the original Hocus Pocus, confirmed that she, along with co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson) and Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson) will all be returning as the Sanderson sisters for the second Hocus Pocus movie.

“They want to make a movie, they’ve asked us if we were interested and of course all of us said yes,” Midler told the press. “I’m game, I’m totally game.”

Hocus Pocus 2 will be directed by Adam Shankman, best known for his movie adaptation of Hairspray, but is also in pre-production on an Enchanted sequel called Disenchanted. Which will go into production first, Hocus Pocus 2 or Disenchanted, remains to be seen. Needless to say, the release date has not been announced yet, given that it just found a director. For now, fans will have to be placated by the original available for streaming both on Amazon Prime and Disney+.

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