'Hocus Pocus 2': Disney+ Releases First Photo of Doug Jones' Return as Billy Butcherson

By Allison Schonter

The Sanderson sisters won't be the only ones returning to Salem when Hocus Pocus 2 premieres on Disney+ this fall. Ahead of the upcoming Sept. 30 release of the highly-anticipated sequel to the cult classic 1993 film, Disney+ has released fans' first look at Doug Jones' return as Billy Butcherson, Winifred Sanderson's zombified ex-lover.

Shared by Entertainment Weekly, the new image sees Billy standing in a graveyard and looking almost identical to how he looked in the first film, the character practically frozen in time in a centuries-old body. Jones joked that Billy "was pretty decrepit to start with, and I come out of the grave looking exactly like two minutes have passed." According to Jones, achieving Billy's look in 2022 involved revisiting the past, the actor revealing, "It was the exact same wig, they had it on a dummy on display for 29 years, they put it back on my head in the same style, it didn't even need a touch-up. The costume was rebuilt to be the same as the first one, so I looked exactly the same." However, while Billy's looks haven't changed, one thing has: he can speak. Towards the end of the original film, Billy, whose mouth had been sewn shut, cut the threads and confronted Winifred. When he returns from the grave in the 2022 version, Billy is freely speaking.

"I was really happy that Billy comes out of the grave talking," Jones said. "It is seamless between the first movie and the second, that's the first thing I felt. It keeps the pureness and nostalgia alive and well for those who grew up with the first movie, and for any new fans we're gathering now will be excited about modernization for the current time we're in."

In Hocus Pocus 2, Billy will continue to be one of the good guys. After helping Max, Dani, and Allison defeat the Sanderson sisters in 1993, Jones will again wake from his slumber when three teens light the Black Flame Candle. Jones shared that Billy's "hatred for the witches puts him on [the teens'] side." He also revealed that in Hocus Pocus 2, fans will get a bit of backstory into his past relationship with Winifred "back in the day," before she poisoned him on May 1, 1693, for cheating on her with Sarah.

Jones is one of only four characters from the original film returning, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy also returning as Winifred, Sara, Mary Sanderson. The cast is rounded out by Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, and Belissa Escobedo as Becca, Cassie, and Izzy, along with Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson, and Nina Kitchen. Hocus Pocus 2 premieres on Disney+ on Friday, Sept. 30. The original 1993 film is available for streaming on the platform.

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