The Sanderson Sisters are back, no virgin or Black Flame Candle required. On Thursday, Disney announced that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will officially reprise their witchy roles in Hocus Pocus 2.
A sequel to the 1993 classic, Hocus Pocus 2 will see three young women accidentally bringing the Sanderson Sisters back to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world. The long-awaited follow-up will be streaming on Disney+ by Halloween 2022.
The trio each took to Instagram to share the news and debut the movie’s title treatment. “Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years… But we’re BACK! ?,” Midler wrote, while Parker captioned hers, “Yep. I’m ready. To run. Amok, amok, amok, amok.?️”
“The people have spoken: I smell children…again,” Najimy teased.
Along with the casting confirmation, Disney announced a shakeup behind the camera: Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) will now direct Hocus Pocus 2, taking over for Adam Shankman, who still serves as an executive producer. The reason for the switcheroo? Shankman is currently filming Disney’s other sequel, Disenchanted.
“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+ 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,” Shankman says.
“Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film,” Fletcher says. “I am so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life, and to be working with my friends at Disney again makes it all the more special. This is a movie for everyone, from the fans who grew up with the first film to the next generation of viewers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
