‘Hocus Pocus’: Bette Midler Confirms Original Cast Will Return for Disney+ Sequel
Sisters! Grab your grimoires and broomsticks because Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are in for Hocus Pocus 2.
Midler confirmed in an interview with Good Day New York that she and her Sanderson Sister counterparts were asked to reunite for the upcoming Disney+ sequel to the classic 1993 movie, and they all said yes.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is being developed for Disney+
The Kenny Ortega-directed Halloween flick has stood the test of time. Although it was far from a box office success when it first came out in July 1993 (July? Really?), it grew to be a cult classic film that’s required viewing during spooky season.
When the Disney+ sequel first was announced, Midler, Parker, and Najimy’s involvement was not guaranteed. In fact, Midler originally scoffed at the idea of a sequel, telling People in 2017, “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!”
The Tony winner has changed her mind about the new installment in the years since, however. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight on Sept. 30, 2020, the Beaches alum said, “I can’t wait to fly!” The 74-year-old also noted in that interview that she was in talks with Disney about the sequel, but it was just logistics at that time.
On Oct. 21, Midler confirmed that she, Parker, and Najimy all agreed to return for the highly anticipated sequel.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reunite as the Sanderson Sisters in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’
“They want to make a movie,” Midler said on Fox 5 New York’s Good Day New York. “They’ve asked us if we were interested and of course all of us said yes. I’m game, I’m totally game.”
Up until this moment, it wasn’t clear if all three of the original stars were interested in reuniting for a sequel. There was talk in 2017, when rumors of the sequel first started, that the original cast would not return, which did not excite fans. But Disney changed course and ultimately decided the movie needed the Sanderson Sisters. This confirmation from Midler that the entire original trio is down for the sequel is exactly what Hocus Pocus lovers needed to hear.
Fans already got to see a Sanderson Sister reunion on Oct. 20, when Midler, Parker, and Najimy shared a photo from the set of Midler’s Virtual Hulaween event. The New York Restoration Project’s annual fundraiser will take place on Friday, Oct. 30, and it’s fittingly Hocus Pocus-themed.
The photo shows Midler, Parker, and Najimy in their Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson costumes for the “In Search of The Sanderson Sisters, A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover” segment of the virtual event. The production will also feature appearances from Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Billy Crystal, Todrick Hall, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Hudson, and more.
A Sanderson Sisters reunion will be part of Bette Midler’s virtual Hulaween event
Midler told Good Day New York that getting back into costume with Parker and Najimy felt like going back in time.
“It was so bizarre to have been these characters 27 years ago,” she said. “And to put all that gear on… it was so bizarre because we fell into exactly the same relationship we had and the same style of behaving on screen that we had 27 years ago. As if we had been off for a weekend!”
Disney rereleased Hocus Pocus in movie theaters nationwide (including a lot of drive-ins) in October, and it was a surprising box office hit. According to Box Office Mojo, the rerelease grossed $1,925,000 its first weekend, coming in second in the box office behind Tenet. It has remained in the top 10 box office slots throughout October.
No doubt, fans will be eagerly awaiting Hocus Pocus 2.
