‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Is Officially Happening — Here’s What You Need To Know About The Sequel
It’s official, you guys, the Sanderson sisters are going to be back and better than ever! That’s right, the beloved
Lillie Gissen
It’s official, you guys, the Sanderson sisters are going to be back and better than ever! That’s right, the beloved Halloween movie Hocus Pocus is getting a sequel — almost three decades after it came out — and we are seriously freaking out over the news!
For those who missed it, the original movie hit theaters on July 16, 1993, but even 27 years later, it is still a fan favorite! It was about a teenager named Max Dennison who accidentally summoned three evil witches — the Sanderson sisters. With the help of his little sister, a cat, and their new friend, Allison, they had to steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal. It starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw, and it’s become one of the most beloved spooky movies of all time!
But wait, is the original cast going to return for the next flick? What will it be about? And when is it going to come out? Not to worry, people, because we broke it all down for you. Here’s everything we know so far about Hocus Pocus 2…
Who Is Returning For The Second Movie?
So unfortunately, the cast hasn’t been announced just yet, but all three of the Sanderson sisters have confirmed in the past that they’d be down to reprise their roles! Most recently, Midler told Entertainment Tonight that she was definitely ready to return for a sequel.
“I can’t wait to fly! Oh yeah, [I’m interested]. We’re just talking logistics,” she said.
And this wasn’t the first time she spoke about it. Back in October 2019, when asked if she would return to play Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson again, the actress gushed, “Oh, I hope they get to me before I’m a corpse. We wanna fly again. I hope Disney+ is a big success and I hope we get to do it, because [Winifred] is of course one of my favorite characters. I mean she’s, in the zeitgeist. I have met people — I’ve met grownup people, like 40-year-olds, 50-year-olds — who say, ‘Oh I remember that! Hocus Pocus! I was brought up on that.’ It’s so mortifying ’cause I still look 35.”
As for Parker, she explained to Andy Cohen in a previous interview, “I think that it is something Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and I are all very hospitable to the idea. I think for a long time, people were talking about it as if people were moving forward with it in a real way but we were unaware of it. We’ve agreed publicly to the right people, yes, that would be a very, very fun idea, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
And Najimy is all for it too! She told Entertainment Tonight, “I heard about it online the same time as [everyone else]. But here’s the honest answer: Sarah and Bette and I all have a million projects and things that we’re into, so I don’t know if they’re gonna offer us [roles]. I don’t know if the worlds are going to collide so that we could all three do it at the same time. But I’m happy that it’s happening, because the fans are really rabid and they really want it. If we’re not all available to star in it, I think it would be so great to do a cameo. I think that’d be really fun.”
Who Is Directing The Sequel?
According to Variety, Adam Shankman (who is also working on the upcoming Enchanted sequel!) is going to direct the upcoming film. It is reportedly being written by Jen D’Angelo and is going to be produced by Lynn Harris.
On March 4, 2020, the director took to Instagram to confirm that he was working on Hocus Pocus 2 and the upcoming Enchanted sequel, writing, “Looks like I’ll be working on a looooooottttt of magic for awhile… I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be guiding forward these two Disney crown jewel legacies. My only hope is to honor those who came before me and build something new and exciting, as I desperately try to not let down the fans and enchant the new initiates! Fingers crossed!”
What Is The Sequel Going To Be About?
Not a lot of details have been revealed just yet, but Variety reported that the highly anticipated sequel is not going to be a remake of the original story. Sources told them, “Ideally the trio of actresses will reprise their roles, rather than having to completely reboot the first film.”
Plus, there was already a sequel, which was created as a book, and it took place 25 years after the first movie. It followed Max and Allison’s daughter as she faced the scary Sanderson sisters once again. It’s unclear whether or not the new movie is going to follow the same storyline, we either way, we know it’s going to be epic!
What Other Movies Does Disney Have In The Works?
It turns out, there’s a lot of exciting movies in the works! Disney recently announced that they’re turning Peter Pan into a live-action movie, and Yara Shahidi is going to make history in it as the first person of color to portray Tinker Bell! Alexander Molony (who made his acting debut in 2017 and has starred in TV shows like The Reluctant Landlord and Claude) is going to star as the boy who doesn’t want to grow up, and Ever Anderson (who briefly appeared in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, but hasn’t acted in anything else) is set to play Wendy. Wow, talk about a dream team.
There’s also a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid coming soon, and we can’t wait! Halle Bailey is going to play the red-haired mermaid, plus, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy and Jonah Hauer-King are also set to star in it. Harry Styles was originally being eyed for the role of Prince Eric, but he ultimately turned it down to focus on his music.
There’s also a new movie called Cruella (based off of 101 Dalmatians) coming to theaters on May 28, 2021, and Emma Stone is starring in it! Plus, Disney has announced that Pinocchio, Bambi, Lilo & Stitch, Robin Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Hercules are all getting live-action adaptations too! They also confirmed that there’s an Aladdin sequel and a Jungle Book sequel in the works, and based off how great the first movies were, we know the sequels are going to be epic!
That’s not all. Rumors also hit the web earlier this year that the network is going to remake the movie Tangled, and get this — Dove Cameron even tweeted that she wants to play Rapunzel! Until Disney confirms the news, that’s just speculation for now, but we really hope this is true!
Apparently, Disney is also making a Pirates of the Caribbean prequel that’s going to star Zac Efron! Some reports have claimed that the High School Musical alum is going to play Captain Jack Sparrow when he was younger, and we are freaking out over this! Wow, there’s honestly so many things to be excited about!
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