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Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kathy Najimy Returning For Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus 2’
By Anthony D’Alessandro
May 20, 2021
In what should come as no surprise, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are coming back for the Disney+ sequel Hocus Pocus 2 as the wicked Sanderson Sisters. It’s interesting that the studio continues to keep this title for its streaming service as opposed to theaterical; the sequel set for a 2022 debut: Back in October, during the pandemic, Disney re-released the movie to notable results in the marketplace, seeing close to $5M from a handful of theaters, this despite the fact that the movie was also airing on TV at the same time.
Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Parker and Najimy back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In Hocus Pocus 2, three young women accidentally bring 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.
Pic goes before the cameras this fall with Anne Fletcher directing who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman with Lynn Harris serving as producer. Shankman is currently directing the Enchanted sequel Disenchanted for Disney+. He’ll serve as EP on Hocus Pocus 2 with Ralph Winter and David Kirschner. Steven Haft is co-producer.
“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,” said Shankman. “I am still grateful and proud to help shepherd this ingenious project as executive producer alongside producer Lynn Harris, whom I have loved and admired as a colleague and friend since she helped get me the job choreographing Boogie Nights.”
“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,” said Fletcher. “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.”
