As some of you may have seen included in our recent "Halloween Must-Watch" list here on AITH, I picked HOCUS POCUS as my pick for the flick I cannot let Halloween pass without watching – excluding John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, of course.
It is with this in mind I wanted to pass along the news that original HOCUS POCUS star Bette Midler is NOT happy about the upcoming remake scripted by Scarlett Lacey. In fact, she went so far as to call the new version "cheap" and repeatedly say she will not be involved in any fashion.
Bette Midler on HOCUS POCUS remake:
I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap! I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character. My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that.
When asked if she would return:
No, no, no!
Well, that pretty much says it all. Midler's out. It seems so are Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. However, other "original cast" may be interested, Deadline says.
We'll let you know when we hear more on the remake.
HOCUS POCUS synopsis:
After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches' book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
HOCUS POCUS was release on July 16, 1993.