Disney has announced that Hocus Pocus 2 is officially happening. The original 1993 movie was not a hit upon its release in theaters, but it quickly became a cult classic, thanks to the performances of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, who together are the Sanderson Sisters. As of this writing, all three original actresses have not officially signed on to star in the sequel, though they have all expressed excitement about the possibility of coming back to reprise their roles.
According to Bette Midler, “They presented us with an outline, and after we picked ourselves up off the floor, because it’s been 247 years, we looked at it and I think all of us agreed that it was pretty great.” While they all think it would be pretty great, it Disney did not confirm their participation today during their mammoth Investor Day presentation. Writer of the original movie, Mick Garris, has expressed his excitement of getting the Sanderson Sisters back together too.
In an interview with ComicBook, Mick Garris said, “I’m excited about [the sequel], but I really think the main reason the movie worked was the Sanderson Sisters, those actresses in those roles, those performances, that I think is the key to that movie’s long life.” That is a sentiment that a lot of fans share and everybody is in hopes that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will return.
While Bette Midler said, “They want to make a movie, they’ve asked us if we were interested and of course all of us said yes… I’m game, I’m totally game,” we’re still waiting on an official confirmation from Disney, which seems to be a theme with other announcements made today. With that being said, the cast recently did reunite. “It was so bizarre to have been these characters 27 years ago,” stated Midler when discussing reuniting with Sarah Jessica Parker and Katherine Najimy. “And to put all that gear on… it was so bizarre because we fell into exactly the same relationship we had and the same style of behaving on screen that we had 27 years ago. As if we had been off for a weekend!”
Adam Shankman is set to direct Hocus Pocus 2, while Workaholics co-producer and writer Jen D’Angelo is set to write. We’re still waiting to see who will be starring in the sequel, but we should find out soon. Original director Kenny Ortega won’t be involved, but he does not hold any ill will. “It appears that there is a sequel in development, and it looks like it’s going to be made with another director,” he said. “I wish everyone all the luck in the world. However they’re going to move forward with it, I hope that it’s as fun and as successful for them as it has been for us.” You can check out the official Hocus Pocus 2 announcement above, thanks to the official Twitter account.