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We must have our lucky rat tail on us because Hocus Pocus could be getting a second life.
Hocus Pocus 2 is in the works at Disney+, and Workaholics writer and co-producer Jen D’Angelo has been tapped to pen the script. Collider was first to report.
The 1993 Disney film starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches who are resurrected on Halloween. While it disappointed at the box office and was critically panned, it gained a cult following after reruns each season on outlets like Disney Channel and ABC Family (now Freeform).
Reports say that while the original stars are not attached to Hocus Pocus 2, Disney is hoping to get them involved. It’s not yet known if the project will be a direct sequel with the same actors or a reboot with fresh characters and plot lines.
If a new movie does indeed go forward, it’s joining a slate full of nostalgic film and TV titles coming to Disney’s streaming platform. Some highlights include new material like the live-action Lady and the Tramp movie and the High School Musical original series, as well as throwbacks like The Fox and the Hound and Boy Meets World. While Disney+ launches Nov. 12, we’ll likely have to wait longer for more news about Hocus Pocus 2.
Kenny Ortega directed the original film from a script by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, based on a story by Garris and David Kirschner. Omri Katz played the teenager who accidentally revives the Sanderson sisters, and his sister was played by Thora Birch. There have long been efforts to reimagine the film, with Disney Channel putting in development a TV movie two years ago, which never came to fruition.
Last year, when Hocus Pocus celebrated its 25th anniversary, the original stars spoke to EW about the movie’s enduring magic.
“I don’t think any of us who were making it at the time thought Hocus Pocus would have such a long life,” Parker said. “People tell me all the time they grew up watching it, and that they still watch it. I think it’s wonderful.”
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