The Sanderson sisters are officially coming back for another round! Last year, the Hocus Pocus trio returned nearly three decades after the original film’s 1993 release. While the sequel got some mixed reviews from fans, most people agreed that it was a delight to see Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy revive those kid-hungry witches in a Hocus Pocus sequel. Now, Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey confirmed to The New York Times that Hocus Pocus 3 is a go.
In that profile, the article simply reports, “Yes, Hocus Pocus 3 is happening.” This film is in addition to other live-action developments, including Moana, Hercules, and Lilo & Stitch. Of course, there are no further details about what we can expect. But surely we will get the three leading actors back as those silly witches once again.
When Hocus Pocus 2 came out, screenwriter Jen D’Angelo did hint at a sequel including original protagonist Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and his girlfriend Allison Watts (Vinessa Shaw). Hopefully, those actors will reprise their roles in Hocus Pocus 3. Maybe they are married, and their child will light the black flame candle. There is, after all, a 2018 book where they have a daughter named Poppy. We’d also really, really love to see Dani Dennison (Thora Birch) come back in some capacity, if possible.
Recently, D’Angelo gave us a small update on Hocus Pocus 3 and noted one character in particular as on her mind. She noted to Entertainment Weekly, “We’re still in the story phase, we’re still working on it. We’ve been working on some ideas, and it’s been fun to dive back into that world and we have so many directions in which to go and so many new characters to explore… We’ve only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham’s mother witch.” She even noted that she believes Waddingham’s mother witch to be the “mother” mentioned in the original 1993 movie script.
But for now, when it comes to Hocus Pocus 3, “anything’s on the table,” but “we for sure want to see them [Sanderson Sisters] again as adults.”
Grab your broomsticks and prepare to fly once again with more Hocus Pocus on the way. We hope to hear more about Hocus Pocus 3 sooner rather than later.
Originally published on June 5, 2023.