By the D23 Team
It’s not just a bunch of Hocus Pocus—the news is true! As part of Disney+’s National Streaming Day event, Disney Legend Bette Midler took to Twitter to announce spellbinding news: Hocus Pocus 2 will make its witchy debut exclusively on Disney+ in fall 2022!
The silly and spooky Sanderson sisters will all reunite for this film: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as Winnie, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson in the live-action comedy sequel to Disney’s 1993 Halloween cult classic Hocus Pocus.
Hocus Pocus 2 follows three young women who accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
The movie begins production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses), who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman (Hairspray, The Wedding Planner), with Lynn Harris (The Shallows) serving as producer. Shankman is currently casting a different kind of magic on Disenchanted (the much-anticipated sequel to 2007’s Enchanted), which he is directing for the studio, but he will remain on this project as an executive producer along with Ralph Winter and David Kirschner. Steven Haft is co-producer.
“As heartbroken as I am that I won’t be able to direct my friends Bette, Sarah Jessica, and Kathy in what is sure to be nothing short of a major event for Disney+ due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn’t be more pleased to be handing over the reins to Anne, who has brought so much laughter and joy into people’s lives with her previous work,” says executive producer Adam Shankman. “I am still grateful and proud to help shepherd this ingenious project as executive producer alongside producer Lynn Harris, whom I have loved and admired as a colleague and friend since she helped get me the job choreographing Boogie Nights.”
“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,” says director Anne Fletcher. “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.”
Stay tuned to D23.com as we run amok, amok, amok with more Hocus Pocus 2 news as it breaks.
