'Hocus Pocus 2' Is Confirmed: Plot Details, Original Cast, More

The Sanderson Sisters are officially back! Hold on to your broomsticks, Hocus Pocus fans, because the sequel has been confirmed and so many original cast members are set to reprise their iconic roles.

“Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years … But we’re BACK!” Bette Midler, who fans will remember as Winifred Sanderson, shared via Instagram in May 2021. The actress starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Sarah, and Kathy Najimy, who played Mary, in the original fan-favorite Halloween flick, which premiered in 1993.

“Yep. I’m ready. To run. Amok, amok, amok, amok,” Sarah shared via social media following the announcement. Kathy added, “The people have spoken: I smell children … again.”

Rumors about a possible Hocus Pocus sequel have been swirling for years, but now, it’s confirmed and the witches are going to be making their premiere on Disney+.

“Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film,” the movie’s director, Anne Fletcher, said in a statement. “I am so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life, and to be working with my friends at Disney again makes it all the more special. This is a movie for everyone, from the fans who grew up with the first film to the next generation of viewers, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Although they’ve yet to start production, the cast and crew started filming in Fall 2021, according to a photo shared on streaming service’s social media accounts.

In September 2020, Bette chatted with Entertainment Tonight and teased that she “can’t wait to fly” again amid Hocus Pocus 2 rumors. “We’re just talking logistics,” the legendary actress said at the time.

She also appeared to predict the sequel’s home on Disney+ in October 2019 during a separate interview with ET.

“We wanna fly again. I hope Disney+ is a big success and I hope we get to do it, because [Winifred] is of course one of my favorite characters,” Bette said. “I mean, she’s in the zeitgeist. I have met people — I’ve met grownup people, like 40-year-olds, 50-year-olds — who say, ‘Oh I remember that! Hocus Pocus! I was brought up on that.’”

Scroll through our gallery for everything we know about Hocus Pocus 2 so far, including release date and which original cast members are set to return!

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‘These Characters Lived With Us’

“As soon as we walked on the set, the dynamic between the three of us was exactly the same as it was 30 years ago,” Bette told Entertainment Tonight in September 2022. “It was like these characters lived with us for the last 30 years … It was a real thrill.”

“It was not a difficult transition to step back into those boots,” Kathy Najimy agreed.

The OG Stars

“I haven’t heard anything,” Vinessa Shaw, who played Allison in the original, told Entertainment Tonight in October 2021. “I know, it’s so disappointing. I would love to do the sequel. It would be so much fun. I think there’s just a different storyline with younger people, but why can’t we all come back in some way?”

The film’s director, Anne Fletcher, revealed that Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw, who played Max Dennison and Allison, will sadly not be appearing in the upcoming film.

“We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you’re like, how do we make this work?” Anne told Entertainment Weekly in an August 2022 interview.

“It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it, because we did talk about it — painstakingly. 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.”

Omri and Vinessa aren’t the only OGs of the film who will not return. 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.

The Release Date

The Sanderson Sisters will be flying into Disney+ on September 30, 2022.

Executive producer Adam Shankman teased the official release date via Instagram in January 2022, writing, “SISTAAAAAHHHHSSS! Aaaaand that’s a WRAP!!! #hocuspocus2 Congratulations to the amazing team @bettemidler @sarahjessicaparker @kathynajimy @567and8 @mrsleshem and the WHOOOOLLLEEEE cast and crew!!! Coming to you #halloween #2022 on @disneyplus.”

A Dream Come True

“We’ve only had one day of shooting [our scenes], but you know, it’s just great to be back,” Kathy Najimy told Entertainment Tonight in November 2021. “When I was growing up, the idol of my life was Bette Midler. … So to be standing next to her, not only in the same movie but to be playing her sister, blew my mind.”

Working With the Stars

Sam Richardson spoke about the “surreal and incredible” experience of being a part of the sequel while chatting with Entertainment Tonight in January 2022.

“To work with the ladies is so … I don’t want to use the word surreal again but I’m outside of myself when I’m doing these scenes,” the actor explained. “I’m like, ‘This is them!’ They are the characters. … The Sanderson sisters, you know, are like there, doing their spells and I have a grin on my face!”

During a separate interview with ET from March 2022, Sam gushed over being a “true fan.”

He added: “It was incredible. All the ladies are back for Hocus Pocus 2. They truly haven’t missed a step. And it was so incredible to be in the movie and watch them putting the old hats back on and being those old characters, the sisters. It was so much fun.”