After plenty of buzz about the Sanderson Sisters being resurrected for a third time, there’s a chance Disney may be keeping the brooms in the closet. It’s been three years since Hocus Pocus 3 began brewing at the Mouse House following the success of the first witchy sequel, and since then, nothing has materialized despite Bette Midler‘s reports of a script being ready and other varying updates about the film. So much has changed since then-Walt Disney Pictures President Sean Bailey confirmed the Black Flame Candle would be lit once more. Not only is Bailey gone, with David Greenbaum taking his place, but so is CEO Bob Iger, who officially passed the torch to Josh D’Amaro last week. For the original Hocus Pocus cast, it leaves the future even more uncertain than ever.
At MegaCon Orlando recently, Collider’s Maggie Lovitt moderated a panel featuring Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Jason Marsden, and Thora Birch, where the subject of Hocus Pocus 3 inevitably bubbled to the surface. While Midler’s comments last year suggested some movement towards making the threequel happen, Katz hasn’t heard anything of note. “Your first question about Hocus Pocus 3, as far as I know, there is a development deal, and that’s all I think we know,” he responded. Marsden further clarified that, “No one has contacted us.” None of the four reprised their roles in Anne Fletcher‘s Hocus Pocus 2, but they’ve been vocal about wanting to return as Max, Allison, Dani, and Binx in the third movie, if they get the call.
Disney may have given the film a green light, with Jen D’Angelo returning as writer, but with so much time between the announcement and a new CEO at the helm, Marsden openly wondered if it was still in the cards. It wouldn’t necessarily be unexpected if a new boss meant a new content strategy, though D’Amaro hasn’t given many indications yet about where he wants to go with the company’s film slate. Right now, all they can do is wait and see what’s to come next within the bounds of Salem, Massachusetts. He explained:
“But yeah, it was announced that it was greenlit. We have not been contacted, and then you all know this new CEO with Disney, which means things are going to change even more. We don’t know the life of this. If they do it, and they invite us, absolutely. I think we’d all like to do it again, totally.”
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What Happened in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’?
When viewers last saw the Sanderson sisters, played by Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, they had returned to modern-day Salem once again with another Black Flame Candle, lit this time by best friends Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). Like Max, Dani, and Allison before them, they raced to stop the diabolical trio of witches from wreaking havoc on Halloween yet again and getting revenge on the town’s mayor, though, unlike the original trio, they didn’t have an immortal black cat named Binx to help. It wasn’t exactly like its predecessor, though, adding some fresh blood in the form of the Mother Witch, played by Hannah Waddingham, and the magic shop owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson), all while exploring more of the Sandersons’ backstory and bringing back Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) from the grave. A small tease of the Mother Witch and a post-credits scene showing a second Black Flame Candle seemed to hint at more to come after the trio was reunited and banished once more, though that is now squarely in Disney’s hands.
Hocus Pocus 3 is still a ways away from being conjured into reality. Stay tuned here at Collider for further updates.
- Release Date
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July 16, 1993
- Runtime
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96 minutes
- Writers
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Neil Cuthbert, David Kirschner, Mick Garris
- Producers
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David Kirschner, Mick Garris, Ralph Winter, Bonnie Bruckheimer, Steven Haft
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Sanderson
