While Sarah Jessica Parker plays the fictional Sarah Sanderson in Disney's Hocus Pocus franchise, the actress has a real-life connection to the Salem witch trials. Premiering in July 1993, Hocus Pocus was a notorious bomb upon release — likely due to the dubious decision to release a Halloween movie in the summer. However, thanks to home video and repeat viewings on TV, young millennials fell in love with Hocus Pocus, and the movie became a cult classic. In 2022, a sequel, titled Hocus Pocus 2 was released for streaming on Disney+. 2y5i6i

Doug Jones has addressed his possible return as Billy Butcherson, the zombie ex-boyfriend of witch Winnie Sanderson (Bette Midler), in the Hocus Pocus 3. The original 1993 movie was a theatrical disappointment but became a cult classic off the back of Halloween viewing, prompting a Disney+ legacy sequel in 2022 featuring the return of Jones and Midler along with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as Winnie's sisters Sarah and Mary. No cast have been officially confirmed for the Hocus Pocus 3, though returning director Anne Fletcher and screenwriter Jen D'Angelo are attached.

Actor Bette Midler is pressuring Disney to make the previously announced Hocus Pocus 3as soon as they can, saying it would be beneficial to bring back the original cast once again. Hocus Pocus 2 came out in 2022, about 29 years after the original, bringing back the original actors for the Sanderson sisters, those being Midler as Winfred, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah, and Kathy Najimy as Mary. Because of their iconic roles and the success of the sequel, the Hocus Pocus 3was confirmed to be in development.

Hocus Pocus 3 is still a possibility – but Disney, as someone who liked Hocus Pocus 2, I’m asking you not to make a third movie. Back in 1993, Disney brought the fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, directed by Kenny Ortega. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and being a box-office bomb during its initial release, Hocus Pocus became a cult classic and a must-watch during the Halloween season. The success of Hocus Pocus spawned a franchise, with a sequel novelization, a TV special, and more. Almost three decades later, Hocus Pocus got a proper movie sequel, simply titled Hocus Pocus 2.

Bette Midler provides an encouraging update on Hocus Pocus 3's production progress. The cult-classic 1993 family comedy starred Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as a trio of long-dead witches brought back to life in the 90s by three kids. With home release and TV broadcasts giving the movie a second chance after underperforming in theaters, it paved the way for a sequel to be released on Disney+ in 2022. Since then,Hocus Pocus 3 was greenlit over a year ago, but there haven't been any new updates.

Hocus Pocus 3possible Mother Witch return has been addressed by Hannah Waddingham. The actor took on the role in the 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2, with her mentor character isolated to flashback sequences where she guided the Sanderson sisters (played as adults by Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy) when they were fledgling witches. However, the end of Hocus Pocus 2 implied that Mother Witch was still alive and taking the form of a bird, ready to cause more mayhem in the modern age.

Hocus Pocus 2 screenwriter explains why one key cameo was cut from the sequel. After 1993’s Halloween hit Hocus Pocus was released three decades ago, the Sanderson Sisters returned to Salem, Massachusetts, to again create witchery chaos in Hocus Pocus 2. Although the original three witches returned and were portrayed by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, the remaining original cast were excluded from Hocus Pocus 2.

Original Hocus Pocus director Kenny Ortega recounts how Disney initially had concerns over Bette Midler’s performance in the supernatural movie. Midler portrays Winifred in Hocus Pocus, a reincarnated witch who haunts the city of Salem, Massachusetts alongside her sisters Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy). The Sanderson Sisters have since become Halloween movie icons and appeared together again nearly three decades after Hocus Pocus debuted in 1993, leading the 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2.

Hocus Pocus 3 screenwriter teases story details about the Sanderson Sisters’ next adventure in the sequel. Nearly three decades after Hocus Pocus was released in 1993, the Sanderson Sisters finally returned to Salem in the sequel that dropped on Disney+ last year. Since then, Hocus Pocus 3 has been confirmed to be on the way, but details have been relatively sparse, including its casting.

Hocus Pocus 3has gotten a hopeful update and a tease toward the potential return of a major character. The movie is a follow-up to the 2022 Disney+ original Hocus Pocus 2, which was a sequel to the original 1993 cult classic. Both movies followed the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), a trio of witches who have twice been unleashed upon Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween. The new movie was confirmed to be in development this June, with Hocus Pocus 2 director Anne Fletcher and writer Jen D'Angelo set to return.