The Sanderson Sisters Have All Said Yes To ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ So Light The Black Flame Candle
Hocus Pocus has a special place in the hearts of many — and rightfully so, as it is a classic example of a Halloween film done right. Plus, there is that added bit of '90s nostalgia for everyone who grew up with the spooky movie. The idea of a Hocus Pocus sequel has been floating around for a while. But now, it's feeling a lot more possible thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker's Hocus Pocus 2 comment via Instagram, where she was heavily hinting at a reunion of the three original Sanderson sisters.
According to Collider, who first let the world know that there may indeed be a Hocus Pocus 2 in the works from Disney, Jen D'Angelo is already signed on to write the script. Collider claimed that sources were pointing to the fact that "D’Angelo has been tasked with finding a way to bring back the original cast of Bette Midler as Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah, and Kathy Najimy as Mary." So fans of the 1993 movie were already kind of losing it at the idea of the new sequel, and news of trying to bring back the three OG Sanderson sisters, is frankly, almost too much. TBH, if Disney doesn't get Midler, Parker, and Najimy together for this project, it'll be a sad day. Not to say that other actors couldn't do it, but to me, these three were and will forever be the Sandersons.
Then, Sarah Jessica Parker posted on her Instagram account on Oct. 31, sharing a photo of the trio. That wouldn't be so unusual, except that she ended up responding to a fan that asked if there was "any chance of a sequel," by saying: “We have all said yes. Now we wait."
I am ~screaming~ with joy. I know this doesn't actually confirm that fans will get all three actors in the sequel, but it does give me hope. Parker wasn't the only one to say she'd be willing to do the sequel. Her comment, "we have all said yes," is reiterating what the press has revealed. On Oct. 31, Bette Midler had a chat with Entertainment Tonight during her annual Hulaween event in NYC. Her response is hilarious, and it makes it very obvious that she would love for it to happen: “Oh my goodness me. Oh I hope they get to me before I’m a corpse," Midler joked. "We wanna fly again... I hope we get to do it, because [Winnie] is, of course, one of my favorite characters.”
According to ET, the other Sanderson, Kathy Najimy, was a bit more demure about it, admitting that she wasn't sure if the three would be offered the roles. “I don’t know if the worlds are going to collide so that we could all three do it at the same time. …[And] if we’re not all available to star in it, I think it would be so great to do a cameo. I think that’d be really fun.”
Hocus Pocus 2 is in the works for Disney+, so it will not be coming to theaters. 1993's Hocus Pocus didn't astound with huge box office profits, and instead was more of a middle ground success, taking $39 million worldwide on a $28 million budget, according to Variety. Despite this fact, a major cult following developed for Hocus Pocus and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm one of those fans. Put together a Halloween-themed movie, a trio of witches, and Midler singing and I'm done.
When it comes to sequel speculation, I guess it's like SJP said: you'll have to wait it out and see. But the fact that all three of them loved the film and would like to do a sequel is a very, very good sign. I'm pretty sure Disney realizes if the three aren't offered the roles and signed on, many fans are going to be bummed out. Though the sequel would do well with other actors, I just can't envision anyone else taking the place of Midler, Parker, or Najimy.
