Cult classic 'Hocus Pocus' to return with a sequel and fans want the original cast or nothing at all
Oh, look, another glorious sequel. It makes us ecstatic! The all-time favorite film 'Hocus Pocus', is finally getting part two. Adam Shankman is on board for the new Disney+ project who will be directing the long-awaited sequel.
The 'Hairspray' director confirmed the news in an Instagram post that features two of his upcoming projects - 'Disenchanted', the sequel to the Amy Adams film 'Enchanted', and 'Hocus Pocus 2'.
"Yep", he captioned it, "Thanks with all my heart, dear @disney. Looks like I'll be working on a looooooottttt of magic for a while... I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be guiding forward these two Disney crown jewel legacies. My only hope is to honor those who came before me and build something new and exciting, as I desperately try to not let down the fans and enchant new initiates! Fingers crossed! Xo."
Shankman shared on Twitter that he has made it his personal goal to make a film that will be worthy of praise and will infinitely please the long-time fans.
While the script is ready to go, the cast for the film is yet to be revealed. So far, there's not a peep from the original cast on whether they will be returning to reprise their roles or not. However, Midler, Najimy, and Parker have previously said that they would definitely be up for a sequel.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight! in October 2019, Bette Middler joked about the rumors regarding a sequel and affirmed that she'd be on board the project whenever it was decided. "Oh my goodness me. I hope they get to me before I'm a corpse," she said, "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."
So if the original Sanderson witches are a no-show, it'd be a bunch of hocus pocus.
'Hocus Pocus' has been a dearly beloved cult fantasy-comedy for 22 years now. A must-watch during Halloween, the bewitching film has developed an ardent fan following.
The original boasted of a cast comprising Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker in the titular role of the Sanderson Sisters. The three Salem witches are accidentally resurrected by 3 kids on the night of All Hallow's Eve, 300 years after they'd been cursed for all eternity in 1693.
Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw portrayed Max Dennison, Dani Dennison, and Allison, the three kids that bring the witches back to life. In the years following its release, it became a cult classic and millennials can be still seen quoting some of the most famous lines from the film.
News of the sequel sent the internet into a total meltdown. Some loyal fans took to twitter to give several mixed opinions. While most of the reactions are positive, some expressed their disappointment over the lack of Kenny Ortega's (the director of the original) involvement. But every response has one thing in common that it has to be the original 'Hocus Pocus' cast or there won't be a sequel.
"Hocus Pocus 2 is officially a thing & I just need to say... 1) If @disneyplus doesn’t get the original cast WE DONT WANT IT 2) I’m sad Kenny Ortega isn’t directing & I hope he’s involved in the film somehow 3) I can’t stress this enough...ALL THE ORIGINAL CAST NEEDS TO BE IN IT", one fan asserts.
Another fan in an amusing tweet said, "Hocus Pocus 2 has been "reportedly moving forward" for like 8 years, I think we can just stop pretending it's gonna happen y'all", as if he were trying to convince himself.
"I'll only believe that this movie is happening when I'm sitting on my couch and HOCUS POCUS 2 appears on my television's screen. Nearly 3 decades of teasing have unfortunately left me with some trust issues", says a third fan.
An avid follower of the original tweeted to Shankman in hopes of bagging a role in the new installation: "@adammshankman I'll be a bad guy or bar owner in the new hocus pocus.... just saying."
They've put their spell on us, and now we're theirs. It feels like the two-decades of teasing has finally paid off.