The Sanderson sisters only had to wait nearly 30 years instead of 300 for a virgin to light the black flame candle once again! Hocus Pocus 2 is set to release on Disney+ on September 30, and all three sisters have returned to Salem. That’s right, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy are back for the witchy sequel.
The sequel is based on the original Disney Channel movie which has become a Halloween fan-favorite movie throughout the years. Hocus Pocus premiered in 1993 and tells the story of three wicked sisters in Salem, Massachusetts, who spent 300 years asleep before the lighting of the Black Flame Candle, which resurrects them on All Hallow’s Eve with a full moon in the sky.
Along with the OG Sanderson sisters, there are some new faces to Salem in Hocus Pocus 2! The Disney+ film will star Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), Froyan Gutierrez (Teen Wolf) and Tony Hale (Veep).
Sarah teased the plot of the sequel in May 2022 at the Met Gala red carpet in an interview with LaLa Anthony. “They think they’ve won this time. And they still enjoy a musical number.” She’s clearly referring to the Sanderson sisters and their love for performing, which was first shown through the iconic musical performance in the original film when they sang “I Put A Spell On You.”
Sadly, some stars from the original will not be returning for the sequel. Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw, the main two leads of Hocus Pocus, will be left out of the sequel. Along with Omri and Vinessa, Thora Birch, who played Max’s younger sister, will also not be returning. Additionally, Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek, who played bullies Jay and Ernie will not be making a comeback. Jason Marsden, who did the feline voice of Thackery Binx, will also not be appearing in the film.
“It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it, because we did talk about it — painstakingly,” director Anne Fletcher revealed to Entertainment Weekly in August 2022. “You’re trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, ‘They could be in the background!’ and I’m like, really? You’re going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You’re not going to be satisfied, you’re going to be angry.”
The premise of the movie is similar to the original, with meddling high schoolers up to no good on All Hallow’s Eve. “It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge,” read a statement for the film. “Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.” Uh-oh, hide your kids!
Another morning without seeing the Hocus Pocus sequel — makes us sick! Scroll through our gallery to meet the cast behind the glorious sequel.
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