The Black Flame Candle may have just been lit, potentially signaling the return of all three original Sanderson sisters in the long-awaited Hocus Pocus sequel more than two decades after they were reduced to dust. After months of speculating whether or not Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Namijy would reprise their roles of Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2, Parker on Thursday seemed to confirm that the chances are high.
Speaking with Bruce Bozz on Sirius XM’s Quarantined with Bruce, the actress said the idea is something that she and her former co-stars are “very hospitable to,” according to E! News. She added that “for a long time, people were talking about it as if people were moving forward with it in a real way but we were unaware of it.” Getting hopes even higher that the Sanderson sisters would be grabbing their broomsticks sometime soon, Parker said that “we’ve agreed publicly to the right people, yes, that would be a very, very fun idea, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
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Details surrounding the long-teased sequel have been few and far between. In October of 2019, it was confirmed that Disney+, which at the time was still a month away from launching, was “moving forward” with the project. Fans didn’t get any further updates until March of this year, when Adam Shankman, known for directing 2007’s Hairspray, Step Up, and A Walk to Remember, was announced to be directing. Workaholics writer and co-producer Jen D’Angelo is writing the script. Since then, however, no further details have trickled out, and the fate of whether or not the original Sanderson sisters, or rather their real-life counterparts, would return has been largely left in limbo.
When the sequel was confirmed to be in the works, Collider reported that Disney execs were hopeful the original Sanderson sister trio would return, citing sources who said “D’Angelo has been tasked with finding a way to bring back” Midler, Parker, and Najimy. While “none of them are attached at the moment,” the outlet reported that “the studio is hopeful that they’ll be involved with the sequel in some capacity.” Then, when Shankman was confirmed to be directing, Variety reported that Disney remained “hopeful that they will become involved in some capacity” and that “ideally the trio of actresses will reprise their roles, rather than having to completely reboot the first film.”
Still, nothing has been nailed down. At this time, a plot hasn’t even been released, nor has a possible air date. The original Hocus Pocus debuted in theaters in 1993, telling the tale of three witches who return to Salem after having been burned at the stake 300 years earlier. Although the film was not a critical or commercial success, in the more than two decades since, it has become a cult classic, with fans having called for a sequel for years.
