Cult classic Disney film Hocus Pocus has charmed viewers young and old ever since its release in 1993. This week, its long-awaited sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, was confirmed by the House of Mouse to be arriving on Disney Plus in 2022.
The news added that the three witches, Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson, will be making a return to the series.
These evildoers will be played by their original actors, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy respectively.
Although the plot details about the film are currently under wraps, a sequel to the classic tale was already released in 2018 in book form.
Disney released the novel, Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel, in 2018 detailing the next part of the story.
The sequel was received generally well by fans of the franchise, so a big-screen adaptation could certainly be a part of Hocus Pocus 2.
The sequel takes place 25 years after the events of Hocus Pocus and follows Allison and Max Dennison’s 17-year-old daughter, Poppy.
Unlike her parents, Poppy hates Halloween and can’t stand the stories her folks tell her about how they banished three Salem witches back to the underworld.
Things take a stark turn, however, when the youngster finds herself in the infamous Sanderson household on Halloween night. To make matters worse, she goes on to accidentally resurrect the malevolent witches for the second time.
What followed was a race-against-time as Poppy has to battle the three witches and send them back to hell before her parents find out, and Salem gets overrun by the cackling villains.
The All-New Sequel also introduced a love interest for Poppy – Isabella Richards.
The teens quickly found a connection within one another, leaving Poppy no choice but to reveal to Isabella her family’s history regarding the witches.
But Isabella has a dark past of her own. Poppy eventually finds out something she didn’t expect as the Halloween night continues on.
Fletcher is best known for ensemble comedy hits The Proposal and 27 Dresses.
Shankman said in a statement: “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 Plus 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.”
He added: “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.”
Hocus Pocus 2 is due out on Disney Plus in 2022.
Published at Sun, 23 May 2021 12:40:58 +0000
Hocus Pocus 2: Bette Midler sequel's plot was detailed in 2018 novelisation
