Entertainment Weekly
Sarah Jessica Parker gave a surprising update 2 years after Disney announced Hocus Pocus 3
By Joey Nolfi
July 14, 2025
Prepare a calming circle, because Disney apparently isn’t conjuring Hocus Pocus 3 any time soon.
Over two years after the studio revealed that a third Hocus Pocus film was in development following the streaming success of 2022’s Hocus Pocus 2, star Sarah Jessica Parker provided a surprising update during a Sunday night appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live.
In response to a viewer question from two fans living in London — where unconfirmed rumors suggested earlier this year that the third film is potentially slated to shoot — the And Just Like That actress said movement on Hocus Pocus 3 isn’t necessarily happening.
“Um, well, for the expats in London,” she teased. “No more developments, other than we would like to do it.”
Parker reiterated that “we would like to do it,” and said that “we’ve been having some conversations” in the planning stage, though it’s unclear if she specifically meant fellow stars Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Disney representatives for comment.
Shortly after Disney announced in the summer of 2023 that a third film was in development, writer Jen D’Angelo told EW that she had many ideas for the sequel, including potentially expanding upon the storyline set forth by Hannah Waddingham’s mother witch in the 2022 sequel.
“We’re still in the story phase, we’re still working on it. We’ve been working on some ideas, and it’s been fun to dive back into that world, and we have so many directions in which to go and so many new characters to explore,” D’Angelo said at the time. “We’ve only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham’s mother witch.”
In a June 2024 interview on The Jess Cagle Show, Midler gave a prior update, saying that Disney was “very gingerly and very gently” working on the third film.
D’Angelo additionally confirmed news EW broke in early 2022 that Thora Birch would not be involved with the sequel, as we reported that OG actors Birch, Vinessa Shaw, and Omri Katz — who portrayed children who resurrected the sinister Sanderson Sisters witches in 1993 Salem — wouldn’t return for the second film.
“I was so invested in trying to get [Birch as] Dani back into the story. We had a bunch of different versions of that, too, where she was really a part of it,” D’Angelo revealed, noting that “there were some versions where she was popping in briefly as a cameo,” and another where “she has a whole arsenal of anti-magic” to fight the Sandersons’ modern resurrection in the sequel.
When reached for comment about the third film, original Hocus Pocus actor Katz also told EW he was interested in participating.
“Yes, I would return if Disney approached me,” he told EW. “It would be an honor to return, hopefully with some of my fellow castmates, and make a fun addition to the franchise!”
Upon its streaming release in September 2022 on Disney+, Hocus Pocus 2 received positive critical reviews and broke records on Disney’s streaming platform. In an interview at the time, Parker told EW that Najimy “had a good idea that the third one should be animated,” while she observed, “That would be cool and a smart idea. It’s fun, funny, and could be interesting and innovative, like old-fashioned or new [animation]. Of course, I’d be happy to have a conversation, it just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!”
Watch Parker discuss a Hocus Pocus 3 update above.
