The Sanderson sisters returned to cast a new spell on audiences years after the first Hocus Pocus film, and they will be back again. Hocus Pocus 3, first announced in 2023, is now out of limbo and officially in early development at Disney, with Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker returning to star.
The trio was last seen in 2022’s sequel, in which their respective characters — Winnifried (or “Winnie”), Mary, and Sarah Sanderson — are accidentally resurrected by three high school students, forcing the latter to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. It became the most-watched original film on Disney+ over its first three days of release, and opened to 2.7 billion minutes in North America.
Plot details for the upcoming threequel remain under wraps, but Midler previously described the early draft of the script as “brilliant” on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen talk show.
“I got very excited, and now we’re trying to figure out what it is and where it’s going to be and how much it’s going to cost and all those logistical things,” said The Rose star.
While the House of Mouse is considering a theatrical release for Hocus Pocus 3, there’s no confirmation just yet as the project is still in its infancy. Kenny Ortega directed the 1993 classic, which was initially a box-office bomb and has now become a cult classic. In addition to Midler, Najimy, and Parker, it also starred Omri Katz, Thora Birch, James Marsden, and Sean Murray.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
