Hocus Pocus 3 writer says Sanderson Sisters may still want revenge against Salem

Writer Jen D’Angelo got her start working on episodes of shows Workaholics, Cougar Town, and Young Rock, and now she’s on a streak of successfully getting her feature scripts brought to the screen. She wrote the long-awaited sequel Hocus Pocus 2, the time travel slasher Totally Killer, and the newly released comedy Quiz Lady – and next on her to-do list is Hocus Pocus 3. D’Angelo has previously teased that the new sequel could bring Hannah Waddingham back as her Hocus Pocus 2 character The Witch Mother, and during an interview with Collider she also gave a hint as to what could bring the Sanderson Sisters back into action, seeking revenge against Salem.

D’Angelo said, “I have my theories about what we could see (in Hocus Pocus 3), and what things mean and where we could take these characters. It’s interesting to be like, ‘Now we have even more possibility’ and it’ll be a challenge to sort of pick the avenue and really make the movie stand on its own. With the Sanderson sisters, the thing that makes them so fun is that they really are like herding cats. So I’m like ‘Yes, Winifred learned a very valuable lesson, she loves her sisters more than anything in the world,’ but she will also just immediately get distracted by whatever’s put in front of her. So if you dangle the carrot of a potential revenge against Salem, which she has always wanted, she might have a backslide where she gets singularly focused on the wrong goal again.“

The original cult favorite Hocus Pocus was released in 1993. Directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay credited to Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert (and based on story Garris crafted with David Kirschner), that film was about a trio of witch sisters who have been cursed since 1963. The fearsome threesome is inadvertently resurrected 300 years later by a boy whose family has moved from Los Angeles to Salem. As they attempt to acclimate to the 20th century, they are horrified to discover that Halloween has become a holiday.

Fans had to wait 29 years for Hocus Pocus 2. Released during the Halloween season last year, that sequel saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy reprising the roles of the Sanderson Sisters. The film has the following synopsis: Picking up 29 years after a teen named Max lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the three 17th-century child-essence-stealing sorceresses, Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker), and Mary (Najimy) are now looking for revenge. With the Sanderson Sisters back to terrorize Salem, it’s up to three high school students to stop them. How do you do that? By summoning the wrath of an enchantress, of course.

In the build-up to the release of Hocus Pocus 2, Entertainment Weekly asked the Sanderson stars if they saw a Hocus Pocus 3 in their future. Najimy responded “never say never“, but that she felt like they were done with the Sandersons because “We’ve pulled every story you could pull out of this.” Parker liked the idea of the next sequel being animated, but left a reunion up to her co-stars: “It just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!” Midler said, “I don’t know. I’m envious of other actors who have franchises, and I was hoping for a sequel to First Wives Club, but we never got that. After 30 years with no sequel to Hocus Pocus, I’ve always been envious of people who get to do their favorite character more than once. The fact that we got to do this finally, after 30 years of promoting the idea, I’m glad we got to do it. I’d love to have a franchise — especially a character I love playing. If there was a third one, of course I’d sign on, but I don’t know how. I can’t imagine what the story would be, but I love Winifred, Sarah, Mary, and our relationship. It’s good for women. We stick together through hell and high water, but we do cause mayhem, and not many women cause that much mayhem!“

Hocus Pocus 2 director Anne Fletcher will be returning to the helm for Hocus Pocus 3.

Are you a fan of the Hocus Pocus movies? What would you like to see in Hocus Pocus 3? Let us know by leaving a comment below.