The Sanderson sisters are coming back! It’s been nearly 30 years since Hocus Pocus entered our lives and became required viewing each Halloween. Now there will be a sequel to add to your annual holiday traditions, as Hocus Pocus 2 is set to hit Disney+ sometime this fall. Filming wrapped in January on the movie that will see three high school students joining forces to stop the soul-sucking trio in modern-day Salem.
The actresses who portrayed the three witches in the first movie will reprise their roles, and it appears we’ll see Winnie, Sarah and Mary in a couple of other iterations as well. The veteran actresses are joined by some fresh new talent that should make fans more excited, if that’s even possible. Let’s take a look at the updated cast list for the highly anticipated Hocus Pocus 2.
Bette Midler (Winifred 'Winnie' Sanderson)
The legend herself, Bette Midler, is back as Winnie, the oldest Sanderson sister. After nearly three decades, she’ll certainly be looking to have more children … on toast! A star of stage and screen for the past seven decades, Midler is known for movies such as The First Wives Club, 2019’s The Addams Family and its 2021 sequel, in which she voiced Grandmama. She most recently appeared on Broadway in 2017 in Hello, Dolly!.
Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson)
Sarah Jessica Parker plays the youngest sister, Sarah, and yes, she’s still beautiful and boys will still love her! This is the second iconic role that Parker has revisited lately, as she’s also currently starring in HBO Max’s And Just Like That…, the sequel series to the HBO hit Sex and the City. Since Hocus Pocus, Parker has starred in movies like The First Wives Club (with Bette Midler), Mars Attacks!, The Family Stone and two Sex and the City movies. She’s no stranger to Broadway herself, as she debuted at age 11 in The Innocents, and is currently starring opposite husband Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite.
Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson)
Rounding out the starring trio is the middle Sanderson sister, Mary, and Kathy Najimy will return in the role of the witch known for sniffing out children. Outside of Hocus Pocus, Najimy is well-known as the uber-optimistic Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act, and the voice of Peggy on King of the Hill. She’s been in a number of movies, including Hope Floats, Dumplin’ and Single All the Way, and she also held recurring roles in such TV series as Veronica’s Closet, Numb3rs, Younger and Veep (which means this sequel will reunite her with some familiar faces).
Doug Jones (William 'Billy' Butcherson)
The three leading witches aren’t the only familiar faces returning for the sequel. Doug Jones will also be seen again as Billy Butcherson, Winifred’s ex-boyfriend, whom she poisoned after she found out he cheated on her with her sister Sarah. Winnie brought him back as a zombie in Hocus Pocus, and apparently he’s still amongst the undead nearly three decades later. Jones is well known for his disguised roles, and he's a frequent collaborator with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, appearing in the films Mimic, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water. He also plays Saru on Star Trek: Discovery and has a recurring role as Baron Afanas on What We Do in the Shadows.
Taylor Paige Henderson (Young Winnie Sanderson)
In her first major movie role, Taylor Paige Henderson will play Young Winnie. Taylor previously voiced Earwig in the movie Earwig and the Witch. I wonder how this sequel will utilize the witches in their younger years.
Juju Brener (Young Sarah Sanderson)
Playing Young Sarah is Juju Brene, who has been acting in small roles since 2016. She played Lily in the 2021 Morgan Freeman film Vanquish and was in Miley Cyrus’ music video for “Younger Now.” In addition to joining the Hocus Pocus franchise, Juju is set to star in the book-to-movie adaptation of The Furry Fortune.
Nina Kitchen (Young Mary Sanderson)
Newcomer Nina Kitchen will play Young Mary in Hocus Pocus 2. This will be Nina’s first acting credit. Fingers crossed this launches her to stardom!
Whitney Peak (Becca)
Whitney Peak will play Becca, one of the three high school students who will attempt to stop the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus 2. Peak can currently be seen in the HBO Max revival of Gossip Girl as Zoya. Before she joined the ranks of Manhattan’s private school elite, Peak played Alpha Jessica in the Apple TV+ mystery drama Home Before Dark and recurred as Judith on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She also played Stella in Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game.
Lilia Buckingham (Cassie)
The second teen who will be going up against the veteran witches is Lilia Buckingham, who will play Cassie. Buckingham, a former competitive dancer, got her first acting credit from a small role on an episode of Modern Family. She then began working with the Gen Z media network Brat TV, where she appeared in series including Chicken Girls, Total Eclipse and Zoe Valentine.
Belissa Escobedo (Izzy)
Rounding out the high school trio is Belissa Escobedo as Izzy. Escobedo got her start on the 2020 ABC comedy The Baker and the Beauty, where she played little sister Natalie. Following that series’ cancellation, she had a small role on American Horror Story and played Bianca in the Hulu original movie Sex Appeal. She's also in the cast of the upcoming DC Comics movie Blue Beetle.
Tony Hale (Jefry Traske)
Tony Hale joins the Hocus Pocus 2 cast as Jefry Traske, the mayor of Salem. Hale is well-known for his comedic turns as Buster Bluth on Arrested Development and Gary Walsh on Veep, but also had notable roles in The Mysterious Benedict Society and Chuck. He’s also a notable voice actor, playing the voice as the inquisitive Forky from Toy Story 4 and Forky Asks a Question, and his other voice work includes HouseBroken, Crossing Swords, Rugrats, Harley Quinn and many more. Hale's movie roles include Being the Ricardos, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Love, Simon.
Sam Richardson
Tony Hale’s Veep and HouseBroken co-star Sam Richardson will also appear in Hocus Pocus 2. Richardson stars in The Afterparty and also lends his voice to a number of movie and TV projects, including Ralph Breaks the Internet, M.O.D.O.K., Woke, BoJack Horseman and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He co-created and co-starred in Detroiters with Tim Robinson and has appeared on Robinson’s Netflix sketch comedy series I Think You Should Leave. Richardson has appeared in films including The Tomorrow War, Hooking Up, Promising Young Woman, 2016’s Ghostbusters, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and Horrible Bosses 2.
Hannah Waddingham
Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham, or should we say Rebecca Welton from Ted Lasso, joins this witchy sequel in an unknown role. She appeared in Seasons 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones as Septa Unella. Waddingham is also a star of the stage, appearing on both London's West End and New York's Broadway. She’s been in productions including Spamalot, Into the Woods, The Wizard of Oz, and Kiss Me, Kate.
Froy Gutierrez
Most recently, Froy Gutierrez played Jamie Henson on Freeform’s Cruel Summer, and he’s appeared in the Hulu series Light as a Feather, MTV’s Teen Wolf in Season 6, and the first season of One Day at a Time on Netflix. Hocus Pocus 2 will surely serve as a way to further boost his acting profile.
Ginger Minj (Drag Winnie)
Drag Race star Ginger Minj will reportedly play a drag queen version of Winifred in Hocus Pocus 2. She was the runner-up on Season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and then competed on Seasons 2 and 6 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Minj has appeared in three Netflix productions — Dumplin’, AJ and the Queen and the animated series Super Drags. She has released three studio albums, and Kathy Najimy made a guest appearance on her music video for “Gummy Bear.”
Kornbread Jeté (Drag Mary)
Kornbread Jeté competed on Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race early in 2022. She will portray a drag version of Mary, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Kahmora Hall (Drag Sarah)
Playing the drag queen version of Sarah is Kahmora Hall. She was the first contestant eliminated from Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but she returned as a guest for an episode of Season 14.
With this great mix of old favorites and new characters in the Hocus Pocus universe, it’s no wonder fans are so excited for this fall. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we’ll see Max, Allison or Dani in the new film, despite Vinessa Shaw expressing willingness to return. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the movie, which will be available for streaming with a Disney+ subscription. In the meantime, check out the other Disney+ movies available now.
