Hocus Pocus has become one of those movies that you simply can't escape come Halloween. While the movie wasn't exactly a massive hit in its day, it's well loved by the generation that grew up with it, and by many who have discovered it since. And with any cult classic, a sequel has been one of those things fans have wanted for a long time. And after nearly three decades, that sequel is finally happening, At this point the only thing we know about it is that the original cast of witches, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, will reprise their roles, but as it turns out, those actresses know a bit more.
Bette Midler recently told People that when the three actresses from the original movie were approached to discuss reprising their roles, an outline of the story was given to them, and at least part of the reason they all signed on to the project was that they liked what they saw. According to Midler...
They presented us with an outline, and after we picked ourselves up off the floor, because it's been 27 years, we looked at it and I think all of us agreed that it was pretty great.
While Bette Midler certainly doesn't reveal any details about what was in that outline, and certainly, a lot may have changed since that original meeting, fans of Hocus Pocus will probably be excited if Bette Midler herself was excited by the ideas that were going into this new sequel.
Seeing the Sanderson sisters together again in a new movie will be a lot of fun, but it sounds like, if the production has its way, they won't be the only ones coming back for part two. Bette Midler says that the project is looking to bring back a lot of people who worked on the first film, especially those behind the camera, in order to do the best possible job recapturing what made the first film so popular. Midler goes on...
We're trying to see who's available and who's still out there and still working and who can come back. Because, a lot of the success of what we did on that picture had to do with the team that was surrounded, had to do with the team that they assembled to make that picture, the people who did the flying and the rigging, the people who did the green screens, the people who did the ... I don't think they called it the green screen in those days. The people who did the hair and makeup, which were all exemplary, the costumers, and the special effects people.
At this point, all we know about Hocus Pocus 2, beyond three major casting decisions, is that the movie is slated for release on Disney+, although, with the recent restructuring at Disney, it's possible we could even see the movie go the theatrical route.
