Cinema Blend
Hocus Pocus Is Getting A Sequel, Just Not In The Way You’d Guess
BY JESSICA RAWDEN
Feb 1, 2018
Hocus Pocus is a Halloween classic for a certain faction of fans who love the dynamic between Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the film. Although the leading three witches have expressed an interest in coming back for the sequel, we found out a few months ago that Disney had plans to reboot Hocus Pocus as a TV movie, instead. On the bright side, there is a consolation prize for original Hocus Pocus fans. Although we won’t be getting that big screen sequel, Disney is releasing a new book just in time for the 25th anniversary of the original film.
The book is going to be called Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel. As the title implies, the first part of the book will retell the events in the original Hocus Pocus movie. Part two, however, will be set years after the events in the original movie. Max will be an adult, and will have married Allison — because, after all, it’s highly likely that high school romances last into adulthood. In fact, they will have been married for so long that they will have a 17-year-old daughter named Poppy. The general premise for this book indicates that the family will release the witch Winifred and her merry band of co-horts from the great beyond. Shenanigans will presumably ensue. If there’s no Thackery Binx in the picture, I’m not sure I’ll be quite so down with the sequel, but hey, at least it’s something.
Oh My Disney says the new book will drop on July 10, 2018. If reading isn’t your thing, the TV reboot that is coming together will have a brand new cast, a brand new director and is being written by a brand new person, Scarlett Lacey. We don’t have a date for when the Disney Channel TV movie will come out, but since it is a TV movie, hopefully we won’t have to wait all that long to hear more.
Bette Midler in particular has been outspoken about the TV sequel, saying it will “look cheap.” Considering it’s a made-for-TV movie, the budget is doubtless lower than a big budget movie would be, which is probably why Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy weren’t asked back. Regardless, a lot of people still hold a candle for the Sanderson sisters, and since they’ve all seemed willing to film more, it seems like a wasted opportunity that we won’t get to see them back playing those memorable Halloween-oriented roles for one more round. If Jumanji could do it on the big screen, the Sanderson sisters probably could, too.
While no Hocus Pocus reboot or sequel is heading to the big screen — yet — you can check out all the other cool stuff hitting theaters in 2018 with our full movie release schedule.
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About The Book:
Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.
Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on Earth to torment Salem for all eternity.
Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest death-defying scheme.
