'Hocus Pocus 2' Stars Talk Possibility of 'Hocus Pocus 3'

Hocus Pocus 2 only just premiered, but just hours after the film launched on Disney+, some fans are already hoping to see the Black Flame Candle lit once more. It took more than 29 years and plenty of fans demand for the Sander sisters to fly back into Salem, but will fans have to wait another 30 years for another sequel? If it's up to the three stars at the heart of the movies — Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy — no, though they admit the probability of Hocus Pocus 3 is slim.

Midler, Parker, and Najimy opened up about the possibility of another sequel movie in an interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of Hocus Pocus 2's debut. Asked their thoughts on potentially continuing the story beyond director Anne Fletcher's sequel, they all agreed on one thing: they would be more than happy to return as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. Unfortunately for fans, however, they cast some doubt that another sequel will ever come to fruition. While Najimy said she'll "never say never" to the possibility of more Hocus Pocus projects, she explained that with the way Fletcher's sequel ends, it seems they've "pulled every story you could pull out of this" series. Midler had similar feelings.

"I'm envious of other actors who have franchises, and I was hoping for a sequel to First Wives Club, but we never got that. After 30 years with no sequel to Hocus Pocus, I've always been envious of people who get to do their favorite character more than once. The fact that we got to do this finally, after 30 years of promoting the idea, I'm glad we got to do it. I'd love to have a franchise – especially a character I love playing," Midler told the outlet. "If there was a third one, of course I'd sign on, but I don't know how. I can't imagine what the story would be, but I love Winifred, Sarah, Mary, and our relationship. It's good for women. We stick together through hell and high water, but we do cause mayhem, and not many women cause that much mayhem!"

While both Midler and Najimy seem to agree that the story of the Sanderson sisters fully concludes with Hocus Pocus 2, the film's stars think the story could be drawn out into a franchise in other ways, namely, an animated film.

"Kathy had a good idea that the third one should be animated. That would be cool and a smart idea. It's fun, funny, and could be interesting and innovative, like old-fashioned or new [animation]," Parker shared. "

Telling the tale of three witches who return to Salem 300 years after they were executed, Hocus Pocus debuted in theaters in 1993. Although the film was not a critical or commercial success, in the more than two decades since, it has become a cult classic, with Disney finally giving a sequel movie the go-ahead in December 2020. Both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are available to stream on Disney+. While it seems unlikely Hocus Pocus 3 will ever be in the works, the story of the Sanderson sisters isn't ending. Hocus Pocus film producer David Kirschner recently revealed that a Hocus Pocus Broadway musical is in the works, though that seems to be in the very early stages of development.