Halloween is the perfect day for Disney+ to announce more information about Hocus Pocus 2, and the streaming service did not disappoint. While fans knew that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy would all be returning to reprise their roles as the villainous Sanderson Sisters, Disney+ tweeted out additional cast members, including Doug Jones, who played Billy Butcherson in the first film.
Not only that, but they announced the rest of the new cast members, including Arrested Development‘s Tony Hale, Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham, Veep‘s Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Henderson, and Nina Kitchen. “The black flame candle is alight to the Sanderson sisters’ delight,” Disney+ tweeted alongside a video showing off the film’s official logo. Hocus Pocus 2 doesn’t have an official release date yet but will hit the streaming service sometime in Fall 2022.
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Hocus Pocus 2 is currently In production, 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.”
