We can’t believe Hocus Pocus 2 is really happening after all these years! We’re finally going to see the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) again as they return to wreak more havoc on Salem.
But if you were hoping the long-awaited second installment would give you all the nostalgia legacy sequel vibes by catching you up on what happened to your favorite kid heroes Max, Allison, and Dani in the last three decades, you’re going to be disappointed.
We just learned that Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, and Thora Birch are NOT returning in the sequel! Aw!
Photos: Where Are The Hocus Pocus Cast Now??
Director Anne Fletcher told EW in a new interview that they really tried to find a way to work them into the story, which sees the Sandersons accidentally summoned by a new group of teens who light the black flame candle:
“We wanted to weave in all of the people that the fans loved, and when you sat back with all the ingredients and story, you’re like, how do we make this work?”
But the filmmakers just couldn’t figure out how to bring them into the story they had in mind:
“It was very difficult to try to have them be a part of it, because we did talk about it — painstakingly. You’re trying to stay on track with story, even if they came in as a cameo. People would say, ‘They could be in the background!’ and I’m like, ‘Really? You’re going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You’re not going to be satisfied, you’re going to be angry.’”
Well, she’s probably right about that! But hey, maybe Hocus Pocus 3…
Sadly, we’ve also learned Jason Marsden — who played the voice of Thackery Binx the cat — is also not credited.
Oh, and in case you cared about town bullies Jay and Ernie, played Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek, they won’t be back either. No, apparently apart from the trio of witches themselves it seems the only returning cast member from the OG film is the preternaturally flexible Doug Jones, who is coming back as Billy Butcherson.
Instead, the film will have an all-new group for the Sandersons to put a spell on, including Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham and The Afterparty‘s Sam Richardson, as well as Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Froyan Gutierrez, Whitney Peak, and Tony Hale.
Hocus Pocus 2 premieres just in time for your October festivities, coming to Disney+ on September 30!
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