Disney is fond of dipping into its back catalogue for sequels and remakes, and last year brought the witchy Sanderson sisters back for a second round of family-friendly dark magic in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’.
Now, buried in a New York Times profile of Sean Bailey, the veteran president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, comes word that a third ‘Hocus Pocus’ is in early development at the company.
1993’s original movie followed the chaos wrought by the Sanderson sisters –– Bette Midler’s Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sarah and Kathy Najimy’s Mary –– after they are executed 300 years in the past for practicing what their fellow villagers contend is dark witchcraft.
Returning to life thanks to a combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of Max, the new kid in the town of Salem, the sisters have but one night to secure their continuing existence… Cue a lot of magical madness and cackling characters.
That movie was directed by Kenny Ortega, and while it didn’t exactly win over critics or cast a truly successful spell at the box office, it became a cult classic that families would watch each Halloween.
Disney had been flirting with the idea of a sequel for a few years, looking to key into the nostalgia for the original, but targeting Disney+ as the destination for the new movie.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ landed on the streaming service last year, directed by Anne Fletcher, saw the Sanderson sisters returning again thanks to the accidental use of a black flame candle by teenager Becca (Whitney Peak), who is an aspiring witch.
Serving as both a sequel and a semi-reboot of the original, ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ suffered a similar fate as the original with critics, but proved to be a success among audiences, notching a Nielsen record for a streaming movie in its first weekend with 2.7 billion minutes views.
It’s hardly surprising that Disney would look to conjure something new up for the franchise, but right now details are thin on the ground.
We don’t for example, know if Midler, Parker and Najimy will be back, but we can’t really imagine a ‘Hocus Pocus’ movie without the main trio.
Still, talking with Variety around the time of the sequel’s launch, writer Jen D’Angelo revealed her hopes for the return of other characters from the original, including Omri Katz’s Max and Vinessa Shaw’s Allison Watts.
Here’s what she said:
“We tried so hard to get the original cast back for cameos and then it just kept not working out for one reason or the other. But I’m hoping in ‘Hocus Pocus 3,’ we’ll see Max and Alison living in California.”
There is no release date set yet for ‘Hocus Pocus 3’, since it’s still at an early stage.
Set twenty-nine years after the original in present day, the Sanderson sisters, including Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) are back and causing havoc in Salem, Massachusetts.
Now, three young girls, Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), must team with Gilbert (Sam Richardson), a magic store owner, and Winnie’s former lover, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) in order to stop the Sanderson Sisters from killing the Mayor of Salem (Tony Hale), who is also Cassie’s dad.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sam Richardson and Doug Jones about their work on ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ Richardson’s love for the original, what it was like for Jones to reprise his role, working with the witches, the challenges of playing a headless character, and how Gilbert betrays his friends’ trust.
(L to R) Sam Richardson and Doug Jones star in Disney+’s ‘Hocus Pocus 2.’
Moviefone: To begin with, Sam, were you a fan of the original movie, and what was it like for you to share the screen with the Sanderson sisters?
Sam Richardson: I wouldn’t say that I was a fan of the original, I would say that I was an uberfan and a true obsessed maniac for this movie. So, to get to work with them as a fan, it was a constant struggle to make sure that I was acting and not just being myself talking to these ladies. But it was such a treat. Luckily, Gilbert is a fan, so to wear that layer, about half the work was done for me over the course of 30 years.
MF: Doug, can you talk about returning to the franchise and reprising your role as Billy Butcherson, and what are the challenges physically of playing a headless character?
Doug Jones: Well, returning to the franchise was something I had hoped for but never thought possible. You never know. But as the fandom grew over the years to a point now where it is a part of everyone’s Halloween, our original fans have kids of their own that are now fans of the movie. So, it’s just grown and grown and grown, and because of that, and petitions online, they’re like, “We need a sequel.” Thank heaven for the fans that made this sequel happen.
And being headless is a part of the deal for Billy Butcherson, unfortunately. He’s strung together with dust, he can’t help himself and he’s been dead for 300 years. I’m surprised he’s even walking. So, you’ll see more things come apart on Billy in the sequel. It won’t let you down.
MF: Finally, Sam, can you talk about Gilbert’s friendship with Becca, Cassie, and Izzy, and how he betrays their trust?
SR: Gilbert owns the magic shop, which is the witches’ original home. Gilbert’s magic shop is the place where the girls frequent, and he’s sort of a mentor to them in the magical arts and such. So, he’s a person that they trust, but then Gilbert surreptitiously uses their love of magic to bring these witches back. That betrayal is something he immediately regrets, seeing what he’s wrought upon the world, but also, he’s trying to fix this thing and sort apologize to the girls, and then to apologize to Billy.
DJ: He betrayed me, too. Let’s be honest.
SR: He’s in over his head, no pun intended. He’s just always at the back on his heels from the start of the movie on. It was a fun thing to play with in this movie.
Releasing on Disney+ September 30th, ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is aiming to work on several fronts: as a sequel to Disney’s 1993 fantasy comedy and as a family-friendly entry in a Halloween movie marathon.
It is admirably successful in both efforts.
The original ‘Hocus Pocus’, directed by Kenny Ortega, spun the yarn of the Sanderson sisters – Bette Midler’s sarcastic Winifred, Kathy Najimy’s goofy Mary and Sarah Jessica Parker’s ditzy Sarah – who, legend tells, were hung in the town of Salem as witches. Swearing that they will return for retribution, they cast a curse upon Salem.
Accidentally resurrected through use of a black flame candle, they end up causing fresh chaos in the town for one night in 1993 before the coming sunrise banishes them once more.
That film wasn’t exactly beloved by critics and didn’t cast that much of a spell at the box office. Yet despite that, it has grown into a cult favorite in the years since, regularly finding a slot on Halloween re-watches largely because it’s the sort of supernatural fantasy that works, boosted by the playing-to-the-back-of-the-theater gusto of Midler in particular.
With Anne Fletcher in the director’s chair this time around, the story is set in the present day, when Salem still goes big for Halloween, and the legend of the Sanderson sisters lingers on through costumes and magic shop owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who loves to tell their story on the small makeshift stage in his store.
Yet the initial focus is on teens Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), who are planning their annual ritual for the former’s birthday. Normally involving a movie marathon and “witchy stuff” (according to a mocking classmate) their celebrations are muted by cooling relations with the third member of their friendship trio, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who nabbed herself a cool boyfriend and seems less interested in hanging with her old pals.
When Gilbert gifts Becca a black flame candle, she and Izzy head to the local woods to light it and enact their usual ceremony – but you can guess what happens. With the Sandersons back in town (and determined not to be undone by pesky teenagers or sunlight this time around), their plan is to gather the items they need to cast a powerful spell that will grant them ultimate witchy power.
Becca and Izzy, then, must try to stop them, with an assist from Billy Butcherson (a returning Doug Jones), the zombified remains of Winifred’s one true love, though he argues they shared “but one kiss”.
And before any of this happens, there is a charming prologue set in 1653 featuring younger versions of the Sandersons (Taylor Henderson, Nina Kitchen and Juju Journey Brener) first embracing their supernatural destiny with the help of a scene-stealing Hannah Waddingham (best known for playing Rebecca Welton on ‘Ted Lasso’), who is honestly so entertaining in her brief role that you almost wish the screenplay had found some way for her to appear more.
Yet the big selling point remains Midler and co. camping it up as the witchy trio, clearly having a blast returning to their roles. The script by Jen D’Angelo gives them plenty to get their teeth into (a plus when you consider the choppers on Winifred), keeping the characters in line with how people remember them but given them new things to do.
Whether it’s finding new things to use as brooms to fly upon (Sarah grabs a Swiffer WetJet, Mary a pair of misbehaving Roombas) or figuring that an Alexa is really a women trapped in a box), they’re a constant, campy delight, infecting the rest of the cast with that sense of wacky joy.
Peak and Escobedo are likeable, down-to-earth leads who play well off the bigger performances of the witches as they desperately try to fix the havoc that has been caused.
Amusing set-pieces such as an early one set in a Walgreens (where Becca and Izzy try to convince the trio that they don’t need to consume young souls to stay youthful, because make-up products in modern-day America are bursting with the essence of babies) and one at the local Halloween carnival (with the sisters once again given a chance to sing).
Most smartly, the film has assembled a top-notch comedy cast to support the stars – Richardson is a lively and funny Gilbert while Tony Hale throws himself into the dual role of the witch-hunting Reverend Traske (in the prologue) and his descendent, the fun-loving Mayor Traske (who naturally factors into the Sandersons’ plan in the present day).
Jones, meanwhile, gets to wheel out his faux British accent as Billy, this time handed more of a backstory and allowed plenty of space for the actor’s spot-on physical comedy chops.
It’s another fairly straight-forward story, of course, but underpinned by a healthy emotional arc for Midler, particularly near the end as the true consequences of her achieving ultimate power are revealed.
Effects-wise, it was never going to challenge big screen efforts in terms of quality, but that just adds to the kitsch value and helps make the movie feel more of a piece with the original.
This is the refreshing legacy sequel that doesn’t try to remake the original and, while it naturally goes down a similar route, finds enough fresh magic to sprinkle across the story. Fans of the first film will enjoy the callbacks (which are used sparingly and well) and those who’ve never seen that movie can enjoy this one without needing to have caught up.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is cheesy, silly and straightforwardly funny in a way that both honors and, at times, bests the original.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
(L to R) Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ which will cast a spell on Disney+ on September 30th.
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Lock up your children! The Sanderson sisters are back! Yes, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, who last played the witchy siblings back in 1993’s ‘Hocus Pocus’, have officially returned to cause more mayhem, as the first teaser trailer reveals.
Here’s the story: It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.
As mentioned, the story focus on the teens who unwittingly bring the sisters back – Whitney Peak’s Becca, Belissa Escobedo’s Izzy and Lilia Buckingham’s Cassie – who discover the candle and light it as part of Becca’s birthday ritual, hoping to activate witchy powers and getting far more than they bargained for. They probably should have just stuck with watching scary movies.
For Richardson, recently seen in ‘The Tomorrow War’ and ‘The Afterparty’, it was a dream come true to act with the original ‘Hocus’ cast. I’m an absolute super fan of the original,” he told ET Online. “I grew up watching that movie. Being in the sequel is so surreal and incredible. To work with the ladies is so… I don’t want to use the word surreal again but I’m outside of myself when I’m doing these scenes. I’m like, ‘This is them!’ They are the characters. The Sanderson sisters, you know, are like there, doing their spells and I have a grin on my face!”
There has been talk of a sequel for years now, with rumors and speculation flying faster than a witch on a broom. But it only really took a step into reality at Disney’s Investor Day in 2020. Though Midler, Jessica Parker and Najimy did slip back into character for a virtual charity event in October that year.
Adam Shankman was attached at one point, though his duties on another Disney sequel, ‘Disenchanted’, kept him from taking part. “As heartbroken as I am that I won’t be able to direct my friends Bette, Sarah Jessica and Kathy in what is sure to be nothing short of a major event for Disney+ due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn’t be more pleased to be handing over the reins to Anne, who has brought so much laughter and joy into people’s lives with her previous work,” Shankman said in a statement at the time. “I am still grateful and proud to help shepherd this ingenious project as executive producer.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will arrive on Disney+ on September 30th, just in time for the prime Halloween viewing period.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will arrive on Disney+ on September 30th.
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‘Disenchanted’ will arrive on Disney+ around Thanksgiving.
What exactly does happen once fairytale characters get their “Happily Ever After”? If the new sequel ‘Disenchanted’ is to be believed, it’s not always completely happy.
The follow-up to 2007’s fairytale tweak ‘Enchanted’ reunites us with Amy Adams’ cartoon kingdom resident Giselle 10 years after finding love with Patrick Dempsey’s real-world lawyer Robert. They’re living in fantasy kingdom Andalasia with his daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino) and move to a new house in the suburb of Monroeville.
The community is overseen by Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who has nefarious intentions for the family. When problems arise, Giselle wishes that their lives were the perfect fairy tale. The spell backfires, with Giselle rushing to save her family and her homeland of the Kingdom of Andalasia before the clock strikes midnight…
Yes, definitely plenty of comical potential there. James Marsden and Idina Menzel are also back as Prince Edward and Nancy Tremaine, while the cast now includes Jayma Mays, Kolton Stewart and Oscar Nuñez. The tunes – since a big part of ‘Enchanted’s appeal was its Disney fairytale-spoofing music – are once again courtesy of composing legend Alan Menken.
(L to R) Amy Adams and Maya Rudolph in Disney+’s ‘Disenchanted.’ Photo courtesy of Disney.
This movie has faced some real challenges on its trip to screens, a veritable magical thorn forest that has seen filmmakers come and go. Which is a little surprising, since the original film was a hit for Disney.
First announced in 2010 with Jessie Nelson writing the screenplay and ‘The Proposal’s Anne Fletcher directing, it lingered in development until 2014, when J. David Stem and David N. Weiss took over scripting, while Fletcher remained in the director’s chair.
In 2016, along came ‘A Walk to Remember’ and ‘Hairspray’ director Adam Shankman, but thanks to continuing script wrangling, it wasn’t officially announced until December 2020 and thanks to the less-than-fairytale pandemic, was delayed further until production kicked off in May last year, with sets built in Ireland.
‘Disenchanted’ will arrive on Disney+ around Thanksgiving.
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And in related Disney+ – and Adam Shankman – news, the company also announced that another sequel project he’s involved with (as executive producer this time), ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will arrive on the streaming service later this year.
This one, directed by Anne Fletcher (did they just swap directing gigs?) sees the return of the cackling Sanderson sisters, played once more by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
(L to R) Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ which will cast a spell on Disney+ on September 30th.
After seemingly being vanquished way back in the 1993 original, the sisters are brought back when a trio of girls unwittingly light the Black Flame candle, resulting in fresh chaos for the residents of Salem.
Doug Jones is back as the zombified Billy Butcherson, while the cast also includes Tony Hale, ‘The Afterparty’s Sam Richardson and RuPaul’s Drag Race’ queens Ginger Minj, Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, and Kahmora Hall, who play drag versions of the sisters in a show within the film where the real witches show up. Can’t wait to see what they make of that…
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will cast a spell on Disney+ on September 30th.
Watching “Hocus Pocus” is a Halloween tradition for many, but not for Bette Midler. Until recently, she hadn’t watched the movie in more than two decades.
The acclaimed actress opened up to People magazine about finally rewatching “Hocus Pocus” after 20-odd years, and it turns out time gave her new perspective. She admitted something hilarious: She’d never realized how good her co-stars were in the movie before because she’d been so focused on her own performance.
“The first time I watched it I was only watching myself,” Midler said. “But this time I saw everybody. And I tell ya, those girls in the back — they were going full blast! They were giving me a run for my money. The kids were great, everybody was great!”
Yep, she’d managed to overlook the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Thora Birch. Still, we can’t totally fault her. It’s got to be a different experience watching a movie in which you star.
Luckily, Midler finally can appreciate what a good job they all did. She now seems to understand exactly why their film has become a classic.
The latest episode of “Billy on the Street” follows the two comedians as they run around the streets of New York, in search of some possible contenders. They claim they need a third person to join them in playing the three witches originally portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy. It turns into a pretty hilarious witch hunt. Eichner gets excited over some “Crazy Witch Asians,” Haddish shows off Brazilian dance moves, and many, many blunt questions are asked.
“I’m gay, she’s black. What do you bring to the table?” Eichner says to a man at one point.
Watch the witch hunt below.
As you can see at the end, the video isn’t just meant to entertain. Eichner reminds viewers to vote on Nov. 6, and he also highlights a Lyft promotion for voters who need a free or discounted ride to the polls.
You’ll grow out of trick or treating and getting in costume, but “Hocus Pocus” is forever.
The 1993 Disney Halloween classic is practically as old as the Sanderson sisters these days — the film turns 25 on July 16, 1993 — although it doesn’t look a day over “let’s watch it again!”
There are many reasons “Hocus Pocus” stands the time (Three top-of-their-game leads! Curses! Folklore!), so here are nine that will make you want to put the film on right this minute.
Hollywood is on a remake binge, and many fans think “Hocus Pocus” is ready for some Black Girl Magic in its own star-studded reboot.
A Twitter user named Persephone first cast the spell when tweeting out an Essence cover featuring “Hidden Figures” stars Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monae. She wants the trio to take on the roles played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1993 horror comedy. But she went further, and more fans picked up the idea, suggesting other stars for the supporting roles:
So this image. Stay w me. Hocus Pocus remake w these 3. Chance the Rapper as Max, Quvenzhané Wallis as lil sis & Zendaya as Allison. pic.twitter.com/gkwy14oFmU
Bette Midler shot down the idea of a “Hocus Pocus 2,” despite hopes for a sequel to the Disney film, so maybe this is the best way to cover both worlds — return to the Halloween fave while making it fresh with a new cast? Disney has yet to weigh in, but considering how much they love live-action remakes and other nostalgia, they may want to at least consider it.
You’ll grow out of trick or treating and getting in costume, but “
Hollywood is on a remake binge, and many fans think