Last September, Disney+ released a sequel that a lot of fans had been waiting nearly thirty years for: Hocus Pocus 2, a follow-up to the 1993 cult favorite Hocus Pocus. It was a record-breaking release, with subscribers streaming the movie for 2.7 billion minutes over its opening weekend. So it’s not too surprising to hear (via The New York Times) that Hocus Pocus 3 is now in development. Confirmation comes directly from Sean Bailey, the President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production.
Directed by Anne Fletcher from a screenplay by Jen D’Angelo (Workaholics), Hocus Pocus 2 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!“
If Midler is in, Najimy and Parker probably will be, too. Now it’s just up to a writer to come up with an idea, because the lead trio feels like there’s nowhere for the story to go.
Do you think the Sandersons have run their course, or is there more for them to do in Hocus Pocus 3? Let us know by leaving a comment below.