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In what could wind up being the best news of the week (or year), Disney has confirmed that Hocus Pocus 2, a sequel to the 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as a trio of witches, is actually happening. What’s more, the actresses will reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters once again for the film, which will debut on Disney+ in 2022.
The film is set to begin production this fall with Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) stepping in as director. The original film’s director Adam Shankman will produce. In a press release from Disney, Fletcher is pretty adamant that there’s never been a better time to revisit the franchise. “Now more than ever, people need to laugh,” she said. “We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film. I am so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life, and to be working with my friends at Disney again makes it all the more special. This is a movie for everyone, from the fans who grew up with the first film to the next generation of viewers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
While the actresses who portray the Sanderson sisters will be back, Disney hasn’t confirmed any other casting or returning characters. However, Thora Birch, who played the young Danni Dennison, recently teased on Twitter that she may be involved. “2020 will be ‘Mah-velous,” she wrote with a GIF of Midler’s Winifred.
As for what the new film is about, you can probably guess the plot. A synopsis from Disney reads, “In Hocus Pocus 2, three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.”
Perhaps that’s how they can get Birch into the film. Who better to teach the new characters how to handle the Sandersons than someone who’s already done it? There’s no word on whether she would be joined by her co-stars from the film, Omzi Katz (Max) or Vinessa Shaw (Allison).
Now they just need to throw a talking cat into the mix, much like the original’s Thackery Binx, and everything will feel just right.
