Disney+ may be conjuring a ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel

One thing we have determined about Disney+ in the weeks before its November 12 launch: This streaming service is definitely not just for kids. It is also for nostalgic grownups. First, we found out they’ll be making a Lizzie McGuire reboot. Now, just in time for Halloween, comes the news that Hocus Pocus 2 is in the works, too.

According to various outlets, writer-producer Jen D’Angelo (Workaholics) will be writing the script, and the studio wants her to figure out how to get original Hocus Pocus stars Bette Middler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker to participate. If nothing else, this news is going to make viewers want to revisit the original movie on Disney+.

The excitement over this reboot might be a surprise to non-Millennials, who remember Hocus Pocus as a critically panned, cringe-worthy movie featuring cartoon-like witches (complete with awful prosthetics) awakened in Salem after 300 years and determined to terrorize the town, and drink a child’s essence. But the very campiness that made critics balk has grown on audiences since 1993, and through rentals and cable TV, it’s become a cult classic. Rumors of a sequel have been brewing (sorry!) for years now.

“I don’t think any of us who were making it at the time thought Hocus Pocus would have such a long life,” Parker told Entertainment Weekly for the movie’s 25th anniversary last year. “People tell me all the time they grew up watching it, and that they still watch it. I think it’s wonderful.”

Parker, Middler, and Najimy have yet to respond to the news on social media, but just about everyone else has. Most fans are demanding the return of the original Sanderson sisters.

“Until I see @BetteMidler’s signature in blood on Instagram, please don’t send me any articles about #HocusPocus2,” @TonyFeole tweeted.

But if the original stars are busy, we think these ladies who made a Hocus Pocus-themed parody of Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” might do a pretty good job, too.

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