The news is out: the campy Halloween film turned cult classic, Hocus Pocus, will, at last, receive its long-awaited sequel. The original Hocus Pocus starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as three sister witches: The Sanderson Sisters. Though burned at the stake in 17th century Salem, the witches return when innocent young Max — a teenager too mature to be fooled by all the town’s spooky folklore — lights the black flamed candle.
With the Sanderson Sister back in town, Max, his younger sister Dani, and local Allison Shaw must team up (with help from a talking cat) to prevent the witches from sucking the life forces from all the youth in town. On paper, the movie may sound a bit frightening, yet song and dance, ridiculous humor, and memorable antics make for a perfectly harmless and hokey Halloween tale.
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ possible storyline…
Spoiler alert: By the end of the 1993 movie, the witches are defeated, and the kids emerge unscathed (mostly). So, how the second movie will progress remains unknown. One possible script (posted on Reddit) to be taken with a grain salt, stated:
I remember a while ago an old draft of the sequel that was circulating had a museum worker accidentally summon/resurrect the Sanderson sisters mom, to be played by Cloris Leachman. Then she casts a spell that brings her 3 daughters back. Tells them same BS about rounding up as many kids as possible for the potion. But Winnie just wants revenge and sets out to find Max and his family, now living in NYC. Hilarity ensues. Mary gets lost in Macys. Sarah’s still slutty. And Winnie ends up on broadway (perfect for bette).
Who knows, maybe this story, with a few adjustments to account for a new filmic age and the years between the two installments, will come to audiences who have been craving a second film since Bette Midler’s buck-toothed performance of “I Put a Spell on You.” However, is the original cast returning for the sequel? Will the original cast be back to dazzle and spellbind us with their brilliant on-screen chemistry and campy contagious energies?
What we know about ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ so far: the cast has yet to be confirmed
Hocus Pocus 2 has been confirmed as a TV movie, which will premiere on Disney+ — the media conglomerate’s upcoming streaming platform. Disney+ has hired Workaholics writer and co-producer Jen D’Angelo to pen the script, according to Vulture.
Back in 2017, when Hocus Pocus 2 rumors began to surface, it was all but understood that the original cast would not return. However, it appears that Disney plans to get back the original Sanderson Sisters if possible.
Considering the movie has already been confirmed, it’s likely that Disney will proceed with or without Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Yet, Disney should think before making such a blasphemous choice.
Such a move would be the film’s greatest mistake, as it is not the film itself that won over fans, but the leads’ performances and the way their characters filled out hearts. Let us not forget, the movie is a cult classic that opened to poor initial critical and audience reception. Introducing new cast members to an already rough narrative history may not be the brightest first step. Recreating cult status is no easy feat, and may not even be possible, but bringing back Bette Midler as Winifred would certainly help.
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