Hocus Pocus 2: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy Returning

The Sanderson sisters are officially returning for Hocus Pocus 2. On Thursday, it was announced that the original stars from the 1993 film — Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy — will reprise their roles as the spooky sister. The long-awaited sequel will debut on Disney+ in Fall 2022. An exact date has yet to be revealed, but it stands to reason the witchy movie will likely premiere ahead of Halloween.

Hocus Pocus 2 will go into production this fall, with Anne Fletcher directing. Fletcher is most well-known for directing romantic comedies such as The Proposal and 27 Dresses. In the new film, “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.”

The original Hocus Pocus was directed by Adam Shankman, who is currently working on Disenchanted for Disney, but will remain on Hocus Pocus 2 as a producer. He and Fletcher go way back, having worked together on a number of Hollywood projects over the past few decades. “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 in a statement.

He continued, “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.” Fletcher added, “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.”