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Movie News: We now know what Hocus Pocus 2 is about NEW TRAILER! UPDATE: Breaking Records! PART 3 Coming!

We now know what Hocus Pocus 2 is about

Plus: Another original cast member is returning alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.

By Nick RomanoNovember 01, 2021 at 11:20 AM EDT

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The Sanderson Sisters have awakened once more. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have descended upon Rhode Island, where filming on Hocus Pocus 2 has officially begun, Disney announced Monday after Halloween.
But wait, witch, there's more: We now know what the sequel is about!
According to new plot details released by the Mouse House, the new Hocus Pocus will pick up 29 years after a teen named Max (played by Omri Katz in the original 1993 film) lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the three 17th-century child-essence-stealing sorceresses.
Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in "Hocus Pocus"

| CREDIT: EVERETT COLLECTION
Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker), and Mary (Najimy) are now looking for revenge when they find themselves back in Salem in the present day. It's up to three high school students, who incite the wrath of the enchantresses, to stop them.

Those three teens are Becca (Gossip Girl's Whitney Peak), Cassie (Dirt's Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (American Horror Stories' Belissa Escobedo).
Additional casting was announced on Halloween, with original Hocus Pocus actor Doug Jones returning for the sequel to reprise his role of Billy Butcherson, whom Winifred resurrected as a decaying dead man in the first movie.
Other new cast members include Ted Lasso Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham, Veep veterans Tony Hale and Sam Richardson, Vanquish actress Juju Brener, Teen Wolf alum Froy Gutierrez, Earwig and the Witch voice actress Taylor Paige Henderson, and newcomer Nina Kitchen.

"I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus," director Anne Fletcher said in a statement. "Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?"

Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere on Disney+ in fall 2022.
 
Amok, Amok, Hocus Pocus 2 Manifests Into Existence
By Jennifer Zhan

Photo: Disney
Now do The Family Stone next. The cauldron of nostalgia has willed a Hocus Pocus sequel into production at Disney+, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy all reprising their roles as the fabulously wicked Sanderson sisters. Hocus Pocus 2, which comes nearly 30 years after the 1993 original that has since cemented itself in the Halloween canon, will follow what happens when 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.” What, like grimoire cryptocurrency?

This post has been updated throughout.

www.vulture.com

Amok, Amok, Hocus Pocus 2 Manifests Into Existence

Our full trio of witches will be joined by Drag Race star Ginger Minj.
www.vulture.com www.vulture.com
 
ew.com

Thora Birch won't return as Dani in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

Thora Birch was asked to reprise her role as Dani in 'Hocus Pocus 2,' but had to decline due to scheduling issues, EW can confirm.
ew.com ew.com

Thora Birch won't return as Dani in Hocus Pocus 2

Birch was asked to reprise the role of Dani in grown-up form, but scheduling conflicts prevented the actress from appearing in the Disney+ sequel, EW has confirmed.
By Joey NolfiMarch 14, 2022 at 04:06 PM EDT

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Thora Birch was asked to reprise her role as Dani Dennison in Disney+'s upcoming Hocus Pocus sequel, but a source close to the actress tells EW she had to decline due to scheduling conflicts.
The source says that Disney asked Birch to play a "good supporting role" as an adult version of Dani, who appeared in the original Hocus Pocus back in 1993, but her obligations to Netflix's Addams Family-inspired series Wednesday prevented her from joining the production schedule. Birch reportedly exited that series in December.
They added that, if the plan had worked out, Birch would've played Dani as she worked to help three modern-day teens (played by Gossip Girl's Whitney Peak, Dirt's Lilia Buckingham, and American Horror Stories' Belissa Escobedo) with their attempts to halt the Sanderson sisters' (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) plot for revenge following their resurrection from the dead to terrorize Salem 29 years after the events of the first film.

Disney had no comment on Birch's potential involvement.
Thora Birch in 'Hocus Pocus'

| CREDIT: EVERETT COLLECTION
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Dani first evaded the Sanderson sisters' wrath with the help of her older brother, Max (Omri Katz), and his new girlfriend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), after the former lit the infamous Black Flame Candle and brought the witches back to Earth for one Halloween night in Kenny Ortega's 1993 classic.
Earlier Monday, EW also confirmed through another source close to production that RuPaul's Drag Race alum Ginger Minj will appear in Hocus Pocus 2 as a drag version of Midler's Winifred Sanderson at a drag show attended by the trio of Sanderson sisters.
In addition to Midler, Parker, and Najimy, original Hocus Pocus actor Doug Jones will return for the sequel in the role of Billy Butcherson, alongside series newcomers Ted Lasso Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham and Veep alums Tony Hale and Sam Richardson, who joined the cast in undisclosed roles.

"I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus," director Anne Fletcher said last year in a statement about the upcoming film. "Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?"
Hocus Pocus 2 is set for release on Disney+ this fall.
 
ew.com

Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw not returning for 'Hocus Pocus 2'

'Hocus Pocus' stars Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw are not returning for 'Hocus Pocus 2' as Max and Allison opposite Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in the Disney sequel.
ew.com ew.com

Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw not returning for Hocus Pocus 2

Director Anne Fletcher exclusively reveals to EW why Max and Allison do not appear in Disney's upcoming sequel Hocus Pocus 2.

By Joey NolfiAugust 29, 2022 at 11:30 AM EDT


Neither the Black Flame Candle nor a spell from Winifred Sanderson's beloved book can resurrect a pair of Hocus Pocus OGs for Disney's upcoming sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic.
EW can exclusively reveal that actors Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw — who previously played Salem teens Max and Allison in the first film — will not return to be tormented by the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) in Hocus Pocus 2.
Sequel director Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) tells EW that they tried to weave the teens back into the story, but that "it was difficult" — even in a cameo capacity, which she feels might've been a distraction from the new movie's plot.

"We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you're like, how do we make this work?" Fletcher explains. "It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it, because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You're trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, 'They could be in the background!' and I'm like, really? You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."

Vinessa Shaw, Thora Birch, and Omri Katz in 'Hocus Pocus'

| CREDIT: EVERETT COLLECTION
Outside of the actresses behind the witches, Doug Jones is the only returning actor from the first movie. The Shape of Water actor once again steps into the decrepit body of Billy Butcherson, Winifred's zombified ex-lover, to help thwart the ladies' reign of terror across contemporary Salem.

In March, EW also exclusively confirmed that Thora Birch, who played Max's younger sister, Dani, in the prior installment was initially considered for a supporting role in Hocus Pocus 2, but scheduling conflicts with her ultimately nixed role in Netflix's Wednesday series prevented her from joining.

Doug Jones returns as Billy Butcherson in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

| CREDIT: MATT KENNEDY/DISNEY+
We also revealed that fellow Hocus Pocus actors Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek — who portrayed the fan-favorite high school bullies who terrorize Max throughout the first film — similarly do not reprise their characters in the sequel.
Though a black cat makes a brief appearance in the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer, Fletcher said that it is not a resurrected version of Thackery Binx, but instead a new feline friend. EW reported in June that Jason Marsden, the voice of Thackery Binx in animal form, will not return to voice the character.
New additions to the cast include RuPaul's Drag Race queens Kahmora Hall, Ginger Minj, and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté as drag versions of the sisters, Sam Richardson as the owner of a magic shop operating in the old Sanderson home, Tony Hale as the mayor of Salem, and Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham in a mystery role.
Hocus Pocus 2 follows a new group of Salem teens (Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, and Whitney Peak) who resurrect the Sanderson Sisters for a new reign of terror nearly 30 years after Max, Allison, and Dani did so on Halloween night.
Disney+ will release Hocus Pocus 2 via its streaming service on Sept. 30.
 
ew.com

Omri Katz 'would have loved to be involved' in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

Omri Katz reacts to not being involved in 'Hocus Pocus 2,' but praises Disney's sequel starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters witches.
ew.com ew.com

Omri Katz 'would have loved to be involved' in Hocus Pocus 2, praises sequel's 'new direction'

Katz tells EW he's optimistic about Disney's sequel starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy: "I think it'll be good for everyone who loved the original!"

By Joey NolfiAugust 31, 2022 at 10:43 AM EDT


image


For some fans, the sting of Omri Katz's absence from Hocus Pocus 2 might feel like taking a shower in the Burning Rain of Death, but the OG Hocus Pocus actor tells EW he's optimistic about Disney's upcoming sequel to the beloved Halloween classic starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
"People have been asking, and unfortunately, I'm not in it. I would have loved to be involved," Katz tells EW exclusively through his representative, Nery Lemus. "I feel bad for the original fan base saying we aren't because I'm sure they wanted to see us reprise our roles."

Omri Katz and Thora Birch in 'Hocus Pocus.'

| CREDIT: BUENA VISTA/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
Still, Katz praises the "new direction" the Anne Fletcher-directed sequel will take without his involvement, and lauds Fletcher and the studio for "trying to attract a new fan base."

"I think it'll be good for everyone who loved the original!" the 46-year-old finishes. "I hope fans will go see it. I know I will."
Katz led filmmaker Kenny Ortega's 1993 original as Max, a Los Angeles teen who moves to Salem, where he and his sister, Dani (Thora Birch) team with a local girl, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), on Halloween night to thwart the return of the Sanderson Sisters after inadvertently resurrecting the witches from the grave 300 years after they were executed by their Puritan community.
EW also exclusively revealed on Monday that Shaw would not reprise her role in the upcoming film. We previously reported in March that Birch was initially considered for a robust supporting role in the project, but scheduling conflicts with her since-canceled role in Netflix's Wednesday series prevented her from boarding.
"We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you're like, 'how do we make this work?'" Fletcher told EW. "It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You're trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, 'They could be in the background!' And I'm like, really? You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."


Bette Midler and Omri Katz in 'Hocus Pocus.'

| CREDIT: BUENA VISTA PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
In addition to Shaw, Katz, and Birch, EW also revealed that their Hocus Pocus costars Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek — who portrayed the fan-favorite high school bullies who terrorize Max throughout the initial installment — similarly do not reprise their characters in the sequel, nor does Jason Marsden, the voice of the black cat otherwise known as Thackery Binx. However, veteran actor Doug Jones — who portrayed Midler's zombified ex-lover, Billy Butcherson, in the first film — will return for the sequel.
Under Fletcher's direction, Hocus Pocus 2 will begin with a sequence following child versions of the central witches in 1600s New England. It will pick up in contemporary Salem, where a new batch of teens (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham) bring them back from the dead once again.

Doug Jones returns as Billy Butcherson in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

| CREDIT: MATT KENNEDY/DISNEY+
Hocus Pocus 2 — also starring Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, and RuPaul's Drag Race queens Kahmora Hall, Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté, and Ginger Minj — releases Sept. 30 on Disney+.
 

Hocus Pocus 2 Breaks Disney+ Streaming Record During Opening Weekend
BYBART WOINSKI
PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO
The long-awaited sequel Hocus Pocus 2 is the best premiere on Disney+, setting a streaming record in its first three days on the platform.


The long-awaited sequel to a classic Halloween film, Hocus Pocus 2, premieres on Disney+ as their #1 movie of all time, breaking a streaming record over its opening weekend. Disney released Hocus Pocus in 1993 to mixed reviews, but it has become a seasonal mainstay with a large and passionate fanbase. Rumors of a Hocus Pocus sequel swirled for years, with the original cast expressing interest, but development never took off until late 2019. Finally, a year later, the original Sanderson Sisters (Better Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) signed onto the Disney+ project.



In April 2021, Anne Fletcher took over as director from Adam Shankman, filming a screenplay by Jen D'Angelo. The original story centers on a new trio of young witchcraft practitioners who inadvertently resurrect the Sanderson Sisters, excluding Hocus Pocus protagonists Max, Dani, and Allison. Hocus Pocus 2 sees the Sandersons running amok in 21st century Salem, trying to take revenge on the descendant of the family that banished them from town while simultaneously attaining true power. Despite certain fan-favorite elements missing from the sequel, audiences heavily anticipated the Hocus Pocus 2 premiere.


RELATED:Is Hocus Pocus 3 Happening?! Disney Really Wants You To Think So

Hocus Pocus 2 officially set a Disney+ streaming record over its opening weekend. The news comes from a Disney press release and concerns the number of hours spent watching the film on Disney+ domestically over three days. Hocus Pocus 2's record makes it the #1 film premiere on the streaming platform to date.

Is Hocus Pocus 3 More Likely After Hocus Pocus 2's Success?

Despite mixed critical and audience reviews, which range from criticizing the film's plot and CGI to praising the Sanderson Sisters and humor, viewer interest in Hocus Pocus 2 is empirically high, according to the record-breaking data. The anticipation for the sequel is likely due to several factors: the lengthy period between the original movie and its sequel, the family-focused atmosphere, the return of Midler, Parker, and Najimy, and the nostalgic allure of Hocus Pocus as a Halloween season favorite. Therefore, despite any supposed flaws, the first film's revered status likely drew a large segment of Hocus Pocus fans curious about a modern take on the Sanderson Sisters' story alongside new viewers, which translated to the sequel's #1 status.


The success of Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+ over the opening weekend is exciting for audiences looking for more Sanderson Sisters content. It means that people feel a connection to the franchise and will give their time toward a new project. In addition, the sequel's post-credits scene preemptively set up a potential Hocus Pocus 3, meaning that Disney had faith in its performance. Now that Hocus Pocus 2 is proven to have widespread appeal as the most-watched Disney+ premiere of all time, Disney can capitalize on that ending tease and the film's new cast by going forward with a third film they know will also draw big numbers.
 
ew.com

'Hocus Pocus 2' cast reveals what Thora Birch would've done as Dani in sequel

Here's what Dani would have done in 'Hocus Pocus 2' if Thora Birch had returned to the sequel after starring in the 1993 'Hocus Pocus' movie.
ew.com ew.com

Hocus Pocus 2 cast reveals what Thora Birch would've done as Dani in planned sequel return

Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham exclusively discuss early script details that had Birch returning as Dani in a clever way.

By Joey NolfiOctober 03, 2022 at 11:15 AM EDT

image


Though original Hocus Pocus actress Thora Birch didn't reprise her beloved role as Dani in Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel stars who took the reins from the 1993 film's OG roster of teens tell EW what might've happened if a grown-up version of her character appeared in director Anne Fletcher's film as first planned.
In an exclusive interview with EW, actress Belissa Escobedo — who, alongside Whitney Peak and Lilia Buckingham, play Salem teenagers attempting to vanquish the resurrected Sanderson Sisters — recalls an early draft of writer Jen D'Angelo's script that included Dani in a key role.
"She was going to be our schoolteacher," Escobedo explains, noting that, in that version of the script, she doesn't recall a version of Sam Richardson's character, Gilbert, appearing at all. "I remember talking to Anne about it being a thing where she was our teacher, and we went to her for help."


Thora Birch in 'Hocus Pocus'

| CREDIT: EVERETT COLLECTION
Sources exclusively told EW in March that Birch was originally approached to play an adult Dani in a "good supporting role" in the project, though she had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix's Wednesday series, which she also ultimately didn't complete.
EW also broke the news that Birch's original costars Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw would not appear in the second film as Max and Allison, nor would bullies Ice (Larry Bagby) and Jay (Tobias Jelinek). Still, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy returned as the Sanderson Sisters, as did Doug Jones in the role of Billy Butcherson.
"We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you're like, 'how do we make this work?'" Fletcher previously told EW. "It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You're trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, 'They could be in the background!' And I'm like, really? You're going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You're not going to be satisfied, you're going to be angry."

Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+. Read EW's full postmortem breakdown with the three stars.
 
ew.com

'Hocus Pocus 2' post-credits scene teases potential Sanderson Sisters return

'Hocus Pocus 2' has a post-credits scene that teases the potential return of the Sanderson Sisters played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy for another sequel movie.
ew.com ew.com

Hocus Pocus 2 post-credits scene teases potential Sanderson Sisters return

Make sure you watch the Hocus Pocus 2 credits all the way through.

By Joey NolfiUpdated October 03, 2022 at 11:07 AM EDT


Warning: This article contains spoilers for Hocus Pocus 2.
Gilbert's binding promise to a new coven of witches at the end of Hocus Pocus 2 proved to be nothing more than another lie from the mouth of a Halloween trickster.
A post-credits scene for the long-awaited continuation of Disney's magical opus confirmed actor Sam Richardson's character — who set the sequel's plot in motion by tricking a group of teens into lighting a Black Flame Candle he crafted from scratch — made a duplicate of the mystical wax column that holds the power to resurrect the Sanderson Sisters.

'Hocus Pocus 2' post-credits scene features another Black Flame Candle.

| CREDIT: DISNEY+
When the film's credits stop rolling, the camera cuts to the interior of Gilbert's Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, the former home of the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) that he later converted into a tourist trap for witch-obsessed Salem citizens. We see his trusty cat, Cobweb, approach a shelf in the store, upon which he climbs and perches next to a box labeled "B.F. CANDLE #2."


The Sanderson Sisters return in 'Hocus Pocus 2.'

| CREDIT: DISNEY+
The development in the Anne Fletcher-directed sequel leaves the door open for the trio's resurrection, after Winifred's quest to perform the ominous Magicæ Maxima spell claimed the lives of her sisters in exchange for making her the most powerful witch in the world. At Winifred's request, the film's newly minted coven (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham) performed a follow-up spell that sent Winnie to her grave and reunited her with her sisters in the afterlife — which, as we see in another credits sequence, sees them happily residing in hell while singing a witch-ified interpolation of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back."
"I'd love to have a franchise — especially a character I love playing," Midler previously told EW of potentially returning for a third Hocus Pocus film. "If there was a third one, of course I'd sign on, but I don't know how. I can't imagine what the story would be, but I love Winifred, Sarah, Mary, and our relationship. It's good for women. We stick together through hell and high water, but we do cause mayhem, and not many women cause that much mayhem!"

Parker added that Najimy "had a good idea that the third one should be animated" if Disney were to continue the Sanderson mythology. "Of course I'd be happy to have a conversation [for a third film]," she continued. "It just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!"
 
www.dailymail.co.uk

Whoopi Goldberg tells Kathy Najimy Sister Act 3 has been greenlit

Whoopi Goldberg reunited with her longtime friend and Sister Act costar, Kathy Najimy on The View Friday. Goldberg credited the success of Najimy's Hocus Pocus 2 in reviving Sister Act for a third time
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk




Whoopi Goldberg reunited with her longtime friend and Sister Act costar, Kathy Najimy, during Friday's episode of The View.

Goldberg credited the success of Najimy’s Hocus Pocus 2 in reviving interest to possibly create a Sister Act 3.

‘I haven’t heard anything formal about 3 yet, I’ve heard rumblings of it. I think it’d be a blast of fun. I look forward to the nuns that we were with that are still with us, seeing them again, they were fantastic, so much fun,’ said Najimy.
 

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